


Oh, Miss Believer

by Dyrewolf2900, MissMarrinette, mrbluerememberyou



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Feels, Feels man, Fluff, Growing Up, Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Latin, M/M, OCD (but not what you think), Reader Is Not Frisk, SO MUCH FLUFF, Soulmates, Tears, There will be a happy ending, We're all going to HELL, barrier will fall, before Frisk, before the barrier falls, im not crying, might as well enjoy the ride, or Chara, reader is female, that's a thing too, you brave beautiful soul, youre crying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-06-15 21:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 73,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15421890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dyrewolf2900/pseuds/Dyrewolf2900, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMarrinette/pseuds/MissMarrinette, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrbluerememberyou/pseuds/mrbluerememberyou
Summary: “Goodbye,” I whispered, with a small wave. Seeing her standing there, her hands clasped in front of her, shedding silent tears, made me want to turn back, made me want to make it okay, but I couldn’t.I turned, and pushed open the heavy doors. There was a ramp, leading upwards, towards another set of beautiful columns. I took a deep breath, and ventured forward. Step by step, I made it to the next set of columns. It was dark.Here goes nothing.I took the final step out of the Ruins, and my foot crunched on something white and cold.“Oh, come on!” I shouted at no one.I hated snow more than anything in the world.(Main writing: MissMarrinette; beta’d by: mrbluerememberyou and dyrewolf2900:))





	1. Fallen Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mrbluerememberyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrbluerememberyou/gifts), [Dyrewolf2900](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dyrewolf2900/gifts), [TotalSkeletonTrash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TotalSkeletonTrash/gifts).



> Hello my children.  
> Saddle up for something that you won't expect. This really is something like you wouldn't imagine.  
> Inspired by Chill Or Be Chilled, and Would That Make You Happy. If you don't know what those are, I think you're really lost or new. So let me welcome you. Hello. 
> 
> Have fun and enjoy. 
> 
> Here's to another one of my obsessions.

Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters.

One day, war broke out between the two races.

After a long battle, the Humans were victorious.

They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell.

 

Legend says, that those who climb the mountain, never return.

 

_____________________________

 

*Name the newly fallen Human*

 

"____________"

 

This name is correct.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I really couldn’t.

I was absolutely done with humanity.

Sure, I could support the queer, the ‘outcasts,’ the people that others normally ridiculed. I could stand for them, and I did. Over and over I did. Sticking my neck out for so many. So many friends, so many strangers. But today…

Today, I was done.

Yes, I was okay with being told that my help wasn’t wanted. I could accept that, and I did. Gracefully. Respectfully, but for someone to…

I huffed and stormed out of my too-small apartment, not even bothering to lock it. I didn’t have anything worth-while; nothing that I cared about anymore.

I had no one to care, either.

 

My grandfather died a year back, and he was all I had. He showed me the world through a lens I couldn’t help but admire. He taught me histories, and knew everything about, well, everything. What that college was before it was a school. Why they called the road what they did and why it stood out in history. He was always there when I needed help with math or science in school, two subjects I couldn’t ever get a grasp on. He was patient with me. He showed me another way that wasn’t the shit they put in textbooks. He showed up to every one of my art shows, and the few tennis matches I was in, and watched, and congratulated me each time. Making my efforts seem worthwhile. Letting every all-nighter studying or finishing projects worth it. It was never for my parents, or myself: my good grades, my good person, it had all been for him. I reflected him, and I needed that to be someone I was proud of.

The last thing he told me was that he was proud of me.

I died inside the day he died.

It was only days before my high school graduation. I was in the top ten of my class, proud of what I was for him, and he wouldn’t even get to see me walk across the stage and accept a stupid piece of paper.

I didn’t show that day.

 

I walked along the trail behind the apartment building, the one leading up the mountain.

 

“The Great War was fought here,” my grandfather told me, before they built apartments here. “The humans fought against the monsters, in a clash of magic and power. The human Mages forced every monster back, up this hill, into the mountain, and sealed them off forever.”

“But why?” my six-year-old self asked.

“Humans act on fear and hatred more than they do love and kindness.” he said, looking away to the mountain.

“Well, that’s stupid,” I said. He chuckled at my response.

 

I wiped the tears from my eyes. I could still hear his laughter, see his smile, forever burned into my memory. Easy to remember, hard to move on from.

I kept walking, trying to distract myself from his memory, from what had happened today that had set me off in the first place. The trail I was on lead high up the mountain, and I stuck to it, lost in anger and aggravation. Any other day, I would have been okay with what happened to me, but today, today marked one year. The day he died, wasn’t bad, I had things to do, and prepare. It was every day after that he stayed dead.

Nineteen. I was nineteen and lost. I felt alone. So, I kept walking up the trail. Maybe if I was paying more attention, I wouldn’t have tripped.

I wouldn’t have fallen.

God, part of me knew, while I was falling, to reach for something, anything. My hand hit a jutted-out rock, hard. I held tight for a brief moment, but my momentum carried me down again, having more than what a simple rock could prevent.

My body hit something, but kept sliding down, as if the hole I had fallen into was miraculously sloped. Praying this was the case, I tucked my knees and covered my head with my arms, in that stupid tornado drill pose that I had to practice for over twelve years throughout my years trapped in school. Who knew the damn thing could actually be useful?

When I stopped tumbling down the side of the chasm, I dared to move my limbs. Nothing seemed to be unusable but I had more scrapes on my arms than I did when I was learning to ride a Ripstik—seriously, who gave an eight-year-old one of those death contraptions? My hand was torn from where I attempted to grasp the rock, and it stung, but the pain was manageable.

My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and I saw two pillars in front of me. They were covered in vines, and nestled on each side were beds of yellow flowers that reminded me of oversized buttercups.

 

“The Mages sealed the monsters underground, for eternity. Only the power of love, they say, could overcome such a barrier.”

 

My grandfather’s voice was as clear as a bell, within the cavern around me. I thought for a moment he was beside me, but when I looked, there was no one.

Looking up, I saw the dim light of the world above me. The last bits of sunlight, caressing my face. Looking back now, it was the last sunlight I saw for a very long time.

I took a deep breath and took a step towards the pillars, towards the inky blackness that swallowed the sun. I kept walking, venturing deeper and deeper into the cave.

“Excuse me!” An annoyed, muffled voice called. Looking around I saw no one. “Under your foot,” called the voice.

I picked up my boot and saw a tiny yellow flower, with a face, looking a bit disgruntled. Kneeling down, I inspected the small thing.

“Sorry little dude.” I apologized.

“Yeah, whatever.” It grumbled, then put on a seemingly cheery smile. “I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower. And I am here to help you.” It… Flowey, said.

“Uhuh. I’m talking to a flower…named Flowey… Yeah, sure, why not?” I reasoned. “What do I need to know?” I asked it (him? Did flowers have genders?).

“Well, you’re new around here aren’tcha?”

“Uh, yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked it.

“No reason. Just gonna teach you some basics. That’s all. First, see your soul?”

Something inside me changed. Something deep within, was called outside and put into focus before me. It was a… cartoon heart? Could that be right?

“Yeah. I see it.” Not really sure what I was seeing.

“Just give it some love. My friendliness pellets will do!” it said cheerfully.

Tiny white pellets materialized before my eyes, and although the flower said they would help, my instincts screamed to move my… soul…  away from them. And so, I did.

“Hey. I think you missed them. You’re not brain dead, are you? Run into the bullets! I- I mean friendliness pellets.” the flower amended, stuttering.

I was definitely not doing that.

Again, his attack came, and I pulled my soul just out of reach.

“You know what’s going on here, now, don’t you?” The little flower said with a wicked tone. The bright and cheery flower had suddenly become a lot more sinister. “You want me to suffer.” It rasped. “In this sick world, it’s kill or be killed.” My soul could no longer move, no matter how much I tried. Flowey set up another attack, and I braced for what was to come. “So your death is all I’ll offer.” he said, as if he was doing me a favor.

His attack hit me, and I cried out, in shock and pain. It was like something I had never felt before, knocking the breath out of my lungs. Nothing was physically damaged, as far as I could see, but I felt much weaker. Much more vulnerable to the world around me.

With each attack, I could feel my strength waning. Maybe he was right. Maybe death would be peaceful. I’d get to see my grandfather again, and leave this sick world. His last blow never came.

I looked up, and saw a towering… goat?

“What a dreadful, miserable creature. Are you alright, my child?” She asked in a motherly voice that I couldn’t help but smile at. She was wearing purple robes that made her look elegant and commanding. Like a queen, really. Standing and brushing off my jeans, I felt my soul slide safely back into my chest, still feeling slightly weary.

“I’m here...?” I offered. I wasn’t dead, and I didn’t know how I felt about that.

“Come, let’s get you some place safe.” She said offering me her…  paw?... as if I was a small child, needing to be led. And as much as it should have bothered me, it really didn’t. She didn’t seem to look down on me, or pressure me into anything. She just, was.

“My name is Toriel, and I am the keeper of the Ruins.” She—Toriel—informed me, guiding me through halls of stone, brick and vines, that felt, surprisingly, far from creepy. They were almost... majestic, as she was. And despite being underground, the halls and rooms were well lit, giving the illusion of sunlight.

There was a staircase, and a glowing golden globe, suspended in the center of a pile of red leaves. Toriel didn’t pay any mind to it, but it seemed to beacon me towards it. I cautiously walked to the orb and reached for it. I instantly felt better, as if the damage I had taken from Flowey was gone. The scrapes on my arms had disappeared as well.

“There are many puzzles in the Ruins, each room has to one to solve to proceed to the next.” She said, flipping a few switches, and activating a few floor tiles, in the next room. Great. I fall down a hole in the mountain, and now I have to be Indiana Jones. “I will guide and show you how to proceed. I have marked the switches you must press to go on.” She said, gesturing to the wall ahead.

Okay, yeah, sure, why not? Going to the next room, I saw a sign, and I could faintly make out the words.

 

_‘Only the fearless may proceed._

_Brave ones, foolish ones._

_Both walk not the middle road.’_

 

Well that wasn’t vague as hell. Still, I went on, following the path, until there was a sign off the path. I decided to go and read it.

 

_‘Stay on path.’_

 

I stared at it. But…  I had to go off the path to read it and it was just telling me not to do what I just did to… My brain hurt. Why would a sign…? I sighed, shook my head and explored the hall. Toriel was ever so patient in waiting for me to look at everything. Almost as if she had done this before. I flipped the few switches that there were, clearly marked for me, but I could tell which ones I should activate anyway. I heard something click in the wall, and Toriel walked to the next room, and I followed.

Here was a training dummy, that looked slightly like a…  dog? Human? Thing?

“In the Underground,” Toriel spoke. “Monsters may be afraid of you, and will want to fight. Please do not engage with violence. Simply talk to the monster, or act, until the monster does not want to fight anymore. Understand?” She prompted. I nodded. I was never a good fighter, and never resorted to violence anyways. She seemed pleased and nodded, carrying on to the next room.

I had only taken a few steps when I felt my soul pulled from my chest again. Before me stood a frog-like creature. My brain supplied “Froggit” as a name. Yeah, it looked like a Froggit. It seemed like we were in a fight. Like Toriel had said. I stared at the creature, fascinated, and struck up a conversation with it. It complained that it’s life was hard, and I could sympathize.

Soon Toriel came and shooed the Froggit away, looking proud of me. Which didn’t count for much, but it was something.

“Well done, my child.” She said beaming. I gave her a smile, and we continued on

The next room further had a bridge of spikes. Great. Seeing the stress on my face, she took my hand once more and lead me through the spikes, which disappeared under foot. I didn’t know how or why, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Reaching the next room, Toriel stopped and turned to face me.

“Child,” she spoke. “I know you are not young, nor ignorant, nor foolish. There are a great many puzzles ahead I would like you to complete on your own, for I won’t always be there to aid and guide you. Do you think you can manage?” she asked, worry in her voice.

I nodded and smiled, and gave her a hug. She was the closest thing to a mother figure I had had in a long while, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her trust.

“I have not been on the surface for quite some time now, and I suppose this is outdated, but I would like to give to you a cell phone. It has reception anywhere in the Underground, so if you ever truly need me, I am but a call away.” She said, handing me an old looking flip phone. To be honest it looked like the first Motorola phone I had as a kid. Yeah. My parents were paranoid.

“Thank you.” I said, supposing that my actual phone nestled in my back pocket might not work here, being so far underground. At least it had a flashlight.

And with that, Toriel walked away. I began to venture forward, into the next room, pocketing the phone. There was another Froggit, standing by a doorway to my left. I went to engage it in conversation. It was more talkative, rather than looking for a fight.

“Excuse me, human,” It said in a rather old English accent. “But might I give you some advice pertaining to fighting monsters?”

I smiled and nodded.

“If you act a certain way, or fight, until you almost defeat them, they may not want to fight any longer. And at that point, please, show your mercy, and spare them.” He offered.

Again, I smiled and nodded. It made sense, there was no use in fighting if they didn’t want to fight. There was another mysterious glowing orb hovering over leaves again, and I sauntered over to go and touch it again. It filled me with a familiar warmth, and determination to proceed.

There was a doorway by the Froggit I had spoken to earlier. I passed through the doorway and saw, raised on a podium, a bowl, filled with brightly colored candies. I smiled and thought of all the houses that would present the same scene on Halloween night. Venturing forward, I took a single piece of candy and tucked it into my jeans’ pocket. Exiting the room, I continued on. The room meandered to the left again, and I walked on, but suddenly fell.

“Oh, what the hell?” I grumbled, standing and brushing the stray leaves off my jeans.

I was getting tired of falling. There were two doors on the far wall, and I couldn’t see where each one led, so I chose the one closest to me. I was suddenly where I was moments ago, an evident hole from where I had fallen. I studied the room, and noticed two vents on either side of the hole, and had an idea. Knowing there was no other way but to fall again, I decided to jump, landing on my feet easily, and tried the second door, which, brought me to the other side; just as I had thought. I grinned to myself and kept heading forward.

In the room ahead there was a row of spikes blocking my path. Not trusting my hand-eye coordination, I looked for a solution. Toriel had said that the Ruins worked like lock and key. Before I could get to doing that, my—well, Toriel’s phone—rang in my pocket.

“Hello, child.” she said when I answered the call. “Do you prefer butterscotch or cinnamon?” she asked.

I told her I didn’t care. When it came to sweets, I really didn’t mind at all.

“I see. And you would not turn your nose up at either?” She asked, sounding nervous.

I chuckled softly. “Both are fine Toriel, thank you.” I said, enjoying the goat mother’s endearment.

“Of course, child.” And with that, she hung up.

I smiled and shook my head, pocketing the phone. There was a sign on the wall. I decided to go and read it.

 

_‘Three out of four grey rocks recommend you push them.’_

 

I looked around and saw a grey rock on a predetermined path, and what looked like an activation tile. I huffed and stared ludicrously at it. How did I miss that? Cursing my stupidity, I quickly nudged the rock onto the tile, and the spikes lowered. Simple enough. I crossed over the lowered spikes to the next room, the next puzzle, but another Froggit crossed my path and wanted to fight.

I smiled, and got ready for it. I had the first move, so I decided to compliment it, thinking about the English-sounding frog who said I’d have to act in a certain way. The Froggit seemed confused, but accepted the compliment anyways. His attack came at me, and took me by slight surprise, but I avoided it easily. Something called my soul to spare it and I did. It hopped away happily and I waved as it did.

Venturing forward, I saw the floor change in pattern and growled. It was the same as before when I had fallen, except this time I had no idea where to step. So, I decided to hug the wall, and my plan failed as soon as I rounded the corner. I landed on my butt, in the room beneath, on a pile of leaves. I frowned and looked around the room. The leaves were in a mysterious pattern. Glancing around I saw the door that would take me back to the puzzle, looking back at the leaves once more, memorizing them, and remembering that when I had fallen in the first puzzle it had been on leaves. So maybe if I followed the pattern where the leaves weren’t, I could get past this puzzle. I repeated the pattern again and again in my mind, and decided to walk it a few times, before leaving, just to be sure. I walked through the door, and it let me out to the hall just before the puzzle.

I went to the wall as before, and walked straight forward to the far wall in front of me, bracing for the fall. I slowly slid against the far wall a few paces, before venturing back towards where I had come, but a few feet to the right. Touching the north wall, I began making my way to the right again, before heading straight towards the south wall again, feeling the far corner again, and went straight up, to the door leading into the next hallway.

Feeling proud, I allowed myself a small moment to gloat, before I saw the next puzzle, which looked like the puzzle with the rocks from earlier, this time with a bridge of spikes. I went to nudging the rocks onto their tiles. I got two of them in place before going to the third, which—though, maybe it shouldn’t have—surprised me when it spoke.

“Whoa there, partner!” It hollered in a female sounding, thick southern drawl. “Who said you could push me around?” It (she?) prompted.

“Oh, sorry. I guess you’re right. I’m sorry.” I said, envying the rock’s boldness. “Do you mind moving on that tile, so that I can cross the bridge?” I asked. “I just need you to hang there until I get passed it. If that’s alright?” I asked, squatting down.

“I guess so.” she said, moving onto the tile.

“Thanks so much.” I said, walking safely over the bridge.

The next room had another glowing globe, calling me to come and touch it. And so, I did. There was also a table, with cheese… stuck?... to it. Smiling and shaking my head I ventured on.

Before me, I saw another person. A ghost to be exact. They were blocking the path and seemed to materialize as I came closer. He seemed to be sleeping. I nudged him a little. He seemed unphased. I nudged him a bit more. He awoke with a start, and suddenly I felt my soul being pulled into the fight.

I chuckled as my brain told me his name was Napstablook. He looked sad, and could use some cheering up. So that’s what I did. His spirits, (ha!) seemed lifted. His attack, well, his tears, made me feel sympathy for the ghost, as I dodged. And so, I continued to cheer him up. I told him a joke, and he seemed to laugh at that. I awaited his attack, but it didn’t come,

“I’m not really feeling it right now. Sorry.” He mumbled. I smiled.

“That’s alright. Sometimes I’m not really feeling it either.” I consoled.

“Hey… you wanna see something?” He asked.

“Sure,” I said, with a bigger smile. It felt good to help someone.

He started crying again, so I tensed for the attack, but the tears floated upward? And They materialized a rather fancy top hat. Reminding me of a kid at school who always wore one, I smiled at the memory.

I complimented him on his hat and he seemed frazzled at it. I felt my soul leave the battle mode, and I stood there with Napstablook.

“I normally come to the Ruins because no one is around.” He paused. “But I met someone nice today.” He said,smiling, (could ghosts smile?) and phased out of sight.

I smiled at where the ghost once was and made my way forward. There were two doors, one to the north and one in front of me. I decided to go forward, and found a small room with two spiderwebs, so beautifully spun that I couldn’t help but admire. It seems that there was a bake sale going on, on the webs, with donuts and a golden drink for sale.

 

_‘Spider Bake Sale. By Spiders, For Spiders, Of Spiders.’_

 

The sign read. Of spiders? I looked at the donuts dubiously. Whelp. When in Rome.

I left a few gold pieces I had collected along the way, thinking that this was the currency, and not the few dollar bills I had stashed in my back pocket. Placing on the web about seven, some spiders picked up a donut and gave it to me. I smiled and thanked the spiders, giving them a small wave before leaving. I stared at the donut. What was I going to do with this? Where was I going to keep it? I could eat it, but I didn’t really want to. Suddenly the donut was gone from my hand and my phone from Toriel beeped. I took it out of my pocket, and there was a notification under the items tab. I scrolled down and clicked it. There was the Spider Donut. I clicked it and a menu came up:

 

‘ _drop’_

_‘info’_

_‘use’_

Huh.

Okay then.

I continued on and went to the room that was north of the hall I was in, pocketing my phone. The next room was a long hall. I sighed. How long were the Ruins? Was this all that was the Underground encompassed? I sighed and trudged on. The next room, was another puzzle. Go figure. But it had both spikes and falling pits. Peachy. It seemed as if I’d have to fall to complete this puzzle. I chose the nearest hole, towards the top of the room, and jumped though… only to find an empty room with nothing but a door to return. I sighed and walked through the door, but suddenly felt my soul be pulled into a fight. By a… carrot?

I quickly went on the defense, and ignited the fight with the Vegetoid.  Seeing it was a vegetable, I asked it to dinner, and it seemed pleased.

“Eat your greens!” It said, with a raspy voice.

It’s attack was a bit different. There were green carrots scattered among the white ones. I navigated my soul towards one of them carefully and collected it, instantly feeling better. The Vegetoid seemed happy about this, and burrowed back underground.

Deciding that was one of the weirdest things ever, despite demonic flowers and goat mothers, I headed to the doorway and returned back to the room with the holes. I chose the hole to the right of that one, and fell again, landing on my feet. All of this falling. One of these times I was going to break my ankle. Luckily, this room had only a switch on the wall. I thanked the maker and pressed it. I heard a clicking sound, and went through the door, finding that the spikes had been lowered. I quickly ran over them, and found an entire other puzzle I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

There was a sign on the wall, and, ignoring all of the pillars and colorful switches, I went to read it.

 

_‘The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective.’_

 

Well, that wasn’t cryptic at all. As I looked around, I saw three switches: the closest to me blue, then yellow a bit away, and finally red, around the corner. I sighed and tried the first blue switch. Nothing happened. Must not be the right switch. I tried the yellow one. Nothing happened again. I huffed in frustration and tried the red switch. Still, nothing happened. I felt like screaming at no one in particular. Looking forward,, I saw that the door wasn’t even blocked. Fuming, I stalked though it, finding the same room… but at a different perspective.

‘…A rotation in perspective…’

Oh.

I saw the blue switch behind the first pillar, and decided to press it. I heard a clicking noise, and rounded the corner and saw that the passage was open.

Why the hell were there so many puzzles? Like, didn’t anyone have anything better to do? Like, at all? Then, I remembered that the monsters have been trapped down here for hundreds of years, and decided, no maybe they didn’t. Humbling and looking at the next room, I saw it was again rotated, but none of the switches were hidden. I read the sign on the wall.

 

_‘If you can read this, press the red switch.’_

 

I stalked over to the red switch and pressed it, again hearing the clicking sound and muttering obscenities all the way into the next room. The only switch left was the yellow switch, so, though the room was again rotated, I knew exactly where to go, and pressed the damn switch and stalked out of the stupidly complicated, good for nothing room.

The next room greeted me with a choice, again. But thank the maker it wasn’t another fucking puzzle. Determination in my eyes and my jaw set, I went forward and was greeted with a Froggit. I took a deep breath, and went to talk to it.

“I saw Toriel come out of here a little while ago,” the frog croaked. “She was carrying some groceries. I didn’t ask what they were for.” they informed me.

“Oh, well, thank you.” I said, waving a goodbye. I had no interest in going through the door. I wanted to see Toriel, not see where she had been, so I turned and went back the way I came. I did miss Toriel, and could really use one of her hugs right about now. So, going back to the crossroads, I headed north. I saw an old tree, with a massive trunk, leafless. I smiled, and thought that this must be where the leaves are coming from.

“Well done, my child.” a familiar voice spoke. I tore my eyes from the tree, and saw Toriel standing there, beaming with pride.

“Thank you.” I said, walking over to her.

She wrapped me in a hug, before checking me over for injuries.

“Are you alright?” she asked, and I nodded as a response. “Very good. Now, come inside, I have a surprise for you.” she said beaming, and beckoning me over towards a quaint little home, built into the wall of the Ruins. I followed.

I also saw another golden orb, and, doing what I had done for every other, I went and touched it, instantly feeling more determined to continue this adventure.

Inside, Toriel greeted me, and spoke in a motherly tone.

“I have made you a cinnamon butterscotch pie to celebrate your arrival. This is my home, and you are welcome any time you’d like. Please follow me and I will show you to your new room.” she said, turning and walking to my right, down a hallway. I stood there for a moment and looked around the home. The walls were a pale yellow, and the floor was made of wood. There was a staircase before me, leading down, a bookshelf and potted plant on a table, on either side of the stairs. I ventured towards where Toriel was patiently waiting in the hallway. She stood in front of a door, that she opened when I was near.

“This is your room for as long as you decide to stay, my child.” She said. “Now, I am sure that you are more than tired, so rest, small one. You’re safe here.” she said soothingly, laying a paw on my shoulder, then leaving.

I went to sit on the small twin sized bed that was against the wall, and looked around the room. It looked like it was made more for a child than for me. Again, there was a bookshelf with a few books, and a photo frame. A wardrobe, some stuffed animals, a few lamps and a decorative rug. I smiled and grabbed one of the stuffed animals, and decided to sleep. The twin sized bed would have given me more trouble if I wasn’t so exhausted, but as soon as I curled up and closed my eyes, sleep greeted me like an old friend.

……

When I awoke, what seemed like days later from a dreamless sleep, I saw a piece of pie left on the floor and smiled. I found myself doing that more often, and the things of my old life started to fade. I picked up the pie and thought about it, and suddenly it was gone. My phone buzzed. I smiled, thinking of the magic behind that.

I left the room, and looked down the hallway. There were two doors, like mine. One I assumed was Toriel’s room and one was under renovations. I looked down the hall, and saw a mirror. I hardly recognized the person in it. It was me, of course, but at the same time not. As if an artist had recreated my image but hadn’t gotten everything quite right. I rubbed my eyes. God, I needed a shower.

I glanced around and saw a door on the opposite side of the hall. I opened the door, and sure enough it was a bathroom. It was a small room, with a toilet, sink, and tub, all stainless, and freshly cleaned, smelling of lavender and bleach. I closed the door, and locked it behind me. Leaning against the door, I sighed and got to work on that shower. I started the water, letting the pipes clean out, expecting rust, but there was none. Cool.

I turned the water warmer and tested it with my fingers, the warm water calling to my aching muscles. I let the water run, while I stripped my clothes, and folding them, setting them on the counter. Before I stepped into the water, I look around for a towel, and sure enough there was a small linen closet that was stocked full of white fluffy towels. I grabbed one, and hung it on the hook adjacent to the shower. The warm water felt heavenly on my chilled skin. I ran my fingers through my hair, letting the water soak it, and released a sigh of relief, and began to unwind, allowing myself to sort through everything that had happened, and make sense of it. Surprisingly, there was soap alone the ring of the tub, against the wall. Quite a few actually. Toriel had shampoo conditioner and lavender scented body wash. I didn’t take too long thinking about what she used where, and really wasn’t going to complain. Raking the soap through my hair, my hands fell into their muscle memory, freeing my mind to do some more processing.

All of the monsters seemed, nice enough, maybe a little hesitant when they saw me, but they all came around. Eventually. Thinking back to Toriel’s words, of not resorting to violence, and pondered why would anyone? All of these monsters, were so exquisite, unique, lovely. Who would want to hurt them?

“I would.” A sickly sweet child’s voice giggled.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, and the shower for that matter. Panting and gasping, clinging to the sink, I looked up, into the mirror, at my crazed, startled look. I sat on the edge of the tub, catching my breath. I reached for a towel, and wiped my face off, before running the towel through my damp hair. When I felt that my heart had returned to its normal pace, i stood, and dried off the rest of the way.

There was a soft knock on the door, and I let out a yelp, then cursed myself for being so afraid. To be fair I had every right to be. What the hell was that voice?

“Are you alright, my child?” Toriel asked gently. I nodded to myself, and found my voice.

“I’m okay. Thank you.” I said, taking calming breaths.

“Alright my child. I have supper when you’re ready for it.” Toriel informed me softly.

“Thank you. I’ll be out soon.” I told her, reaching for my clothes.

I sighed as I jumped and wiggled into my jeans. I was still slightly wet, so it wasn’t an easy feat. The rest of my clothing went on without struggle, but I yearned for clean clothes. I fixed my sweater in the mirror so it hung over my jeans right, and ran my fingers through my damp hair, trying to get it presentable. It was good enough, for now. I had no one to impress. I glanced once more in the mirror, feeling more me than I had in awhile, and exited the bathroom, and headed down the hall, to the part of Toriel’s home, I hadn’t seen yet.

Passing the hall with the stairs, I entered a room, a den. It had a stone fireplace, and next to it a bookshelf. Toriel was nowhere to be seen, but judging by the miraculous smells coming from what I assumed was the kitchen around the corner, I had an idea of where she was. I picked a book up from the shelf, and opened it to a random page, skimming it.

 

‘Trapped behind the barrier, fearful of further human attacks, we retreated. Far, far into the earth we walked, until we reached the caverns end. This was our new home, which we called ‘home.’’

 

I delicately ran my fingers over the page, and closed the book returning it to the shelf. I didn’t want to know anymore. I wrapped my arms around myself, and looked around the room. The fire was burning warm, not hot. Some part of me wanted to touch it, for there was no fear that I would be burned by the flames. I decided against it. There were also iron tools, to tend the fire, but they were all filed down. I smiled at how much of a mother Toriel really was. I chuckled to myself, thinking that the iron would be good to fight off ghosts, taking a page from Sam and Dean, (which was _totally not_ a secret obsession of mine. At all.), but then thought of Napstablook, and how I didn’t really want to hurt him. I shrugged to myself, and made my way to the kitchen. Toriel was standing by a counter, picking up plates and dishes filled with food.

She jumped a little when she turned and saw me.

“Oh, hello child.” She said, recovering.

“Do you need some help?” I asked, gesturing to the dishes and plates.

“Oh that would be lovely, thank you.” Toriel said, all smiles.

I grabbed a few dishes and walked behind her to the table, which occupied some of the den, with three chairs. Toriel set two plates down, one on the right of the table and one on the long side of the elegant wood table, that had a potted plant. I set the dishes of delicious food on the table, and went to sit where Toriel wasn’t, on the edge of the table.

Toriel smiled at me, and reached her paw out for my plate, which I gave to her, and she began dishing up from each of the foods, then handed the plate back, and I set it down, then she dished up for herself. She smiled and waited for me to take the first bite. So I picked up my fork and took a bite of the food before me. As soon as it touched my mouth, I was astounded. It tasted heavenly, like all of my favorite home cooked meals at once.

“God, Toriel, this is amazing!” I said, after finishing my mouthful.

She beamed. “It’s snail casserole.” She said proudly. “My hus-... My ex-husband loved snails, so i learned ever recipe I could.” She said with melancholy. I nodded and placed my hand on her arm.

“It’s wonderful.” I said smiling. “He was a lucky man.” I

“Thank you, my child. But bygones are bygones. No need to dwell.” She said with a sad smile.

I nodded at the truth in the statement. Here was a new life for me.

“Hey Toriel, can I ask you something?” I said, while we were cleaning up, and washing dishes after dinner.

“Of course, my child.” She said, drying the dishes and placing them on the drying rack.

“Is there anything beyond the Ruins?” The question had been gnawing at me for awhile.

The froze in place, and took a deep breath.

“Are you not happy here?” She asked, sadly.

“I… no. I was just curious, I guess.” I said, looking down at the plate I was washing. I felt bad for asking.

She nodded. “There is more beyond the Ruins. I… have never ventured past the end of them, but I suppose if you wish to go, I can show you.” She said, her face somber.

I laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I asked.”

She gave me a smile and wrapped me in a hug. Her fur smelled of baked goods, and lavender. She was so soft, and warm, and inviting. She had to have been left by her husband, and maybe lost a child. She just yearned for companionship. I felt a twinge in my heart of sorrow and sympathy for the lonely goat mother. Tears pricked my eyes. I didn’t want to leave, but I knew I couldn’t stay. I knew I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t be the replacement that she yearned for.  I didn’t want to be smothered by a mother that wasn’t mine. (Or even by my mother for that matter. Not that she was touchy-feely anyways.) I sighed.

“I can’t stay Tori.” I rasped.

I felt her sigh. “I suppose I knew that.” She pulled away from the hug and smiled down at me, tears in her eyes. “You are brave, my child. You have compassion, and a heart for others. Don’t lose that. It will take you far.” She whispered. “Would you like to go now? Perhaps some clean clothes first? Ans supplies for the journey ahead?” She asked. I nodded and she hugged me briefly, before bustling out of the kitchen, and to her room. I followed, sadness gripping my heart. I had barely known this woman, and she had been so kind to me, and taken me in without a second thought.

She hurried around her room, grabbing a bag for me, packing what looked like med supplies, some food, and a water canteen. I stood in the doorway, watching, worrying my lip. She came to me and handed me a stack of clothes. There was no way that these could fit me, but I had faith in Toriel. In the pile was another soft sweater, like mine, but a soft green, almost mint, and a long sleeve undershirt, in a shade slightly lighter, some jeans and underwear set, what was a plain black. I went to the bathroom and tried them on, and sure enough they fit, right down to the length of the jeans. I had no idea, how it all fit but I wasn’t going to question it. It felt so nice to have clean clothes, not to mention underwear. I returned to the door frame of her room, my other clothes in my hands, folded neatly.

“I can wash those quickly if you’d like.” She said, smiling and handing me the over-the-shoulder bag, filled with everything she had prepared for me. I wasn’t sure how she would manage to do that but I still wasn’t going to question it. I was good with all the miracles that were coming my way.  She took my clothes and I went to working on lacing up my boots.

Not five minutes later, she came back with my clothes, smelling fresh and clean, and still warm.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the clothes, and putting them in the bag over my shoulder.

“Of course my child, are you ready?” She asked. I nodded. “Then come with me,” She said taking my hand. She led me down the stairs, and we continued walking in silence. With each step my heart broke. I never knew that leaving could hurt so much. It never had hurt me before, the only one who had hurt me when they left was… my grandfather. And now here I was, walking to the edge of the Ruins, with this woman, who had been more of a mother to me than my own mother had been. I almost wanted to go back. I almost turned around, and went back to the warm home, with amazing food, blissful showers, and a safe place to sleep. I was promised that here. I had no idea what was out there.

We rounded a corner and two magnificent large doors were before us, with columns on each side. There was a symbol on the doors, a circle with two angel wings, and three triangles, inverted, underneath.

“This is where I leave you my child.” Toriel said softly. I looked up at her, trying to find something to say, but couldn’t find the words. I wrapped her in a hug, and fought back tears.

“Thank you, for everything.” I whispered.

“Of course, my child. Now go, and make me proud.” Toriel whispered hoarsely, tears in her eyes.

“I will.” I responded, for the first time in a while, I wanted to make someone else proud. “I promise.”

She pulled away, and wiped tears from my cheeks.

“Now go,” She said. I nodded, and made my feet take the steps towards the door. I placed my hand on the door, and turned to look back.

“Goodbye,” I whispered, with a small wave. Seeing her standing there, her hands clasped in front of her, shedding silent tears, made me want to turn back, made me want to make it okay, but I couldn’t.

I turned, and pushed open the heavy doors. There was a ramp, leading upwards, towards another set of beautiful columns. I took a deep breath, and ventured forward. Step by step, I made it to the next set of columns. It was dark.

Here goes nothing.

I took the final step out of the Ruins, and my foot crunched on something white and cold.

“Oh, come on!” I shouted at no one.

I hated snow more than anything in the world.

 

 

 


	2. Mr. Blue Sky And Ms. Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my children.  
> It amazes me the amount of positive feedback I have gotten all ready. You all really do baffle me.  
> Heads up for this chapter, there may be some triggers for those of you like myself who didn't have the best of everything. So warning, read with caution
> 
> And good Lord this chapter is 8400 words long. What are you guys doing to me.
> 
> I love you all, dearly.
> 
> Love, Mamma Marri

I growled at the flakey white ice on the ground and falling softly from the sky. Was there even a sky here? How was it snowing? Was the Underground big enough to have its own climate? My brain hurt as I tried to remember exactly what I learned in high school about the weather and atmosphere, but to no avail.

The trees grew tall and leafless on either side of the path, their dark trunks standing out boldly against the glistening snow. Before me I could see a bridge, with a weird-looking structure over it… as if the railings were too large and going in the wrong direction. Everything here was tinged slightly blue, and despite the cold, it was enchanting.

Sighing, I wrapped my arms around myself and took a step forward. Wishing that I could go back to the warmth of Toriel, I turned around, but the doors were sealed, and wouldn’t open. I couldn’t go back. There was only moving forward now. Into the cold snow, and the massive forest with no promise of anything beyond. The bridge gave me a little hope. Someone had to have built it. Somewhere…

My bag knocked against my leg as I slugged into the snow, making my way to the strange bridge. I looked down at it, hoping, praying, that Toriel packed something that could keep me warm. Unzipping it, I saw a warm knitted dark green shawl folded neatly on top. Tears stung my eyes as I pulled it from the bag and wrapped it around my shoulders, clinging to its warmth. It smelled like Toriel. I sank to the ground, sitting on the frozen wood of the bridge, and let a few tears fall as I hugged my knees to my chest. I stared at the two big doors, sealing Toriel away from me. The sight of it broke my heart, so I buried my face in my arms, and tried to pull myself together.

“human, dontcha know how to- uh… are you ok?” a deep, cautious voice asked. God, I wasn’t ready to meet another monster yet. I just wanted to be left alone, so I could feel miserable by myself.

Wiping my eyes on the heartbreak of a shawl, and I looked up, and was face to face with a…skeleton. In a blue hoodie. Itt was more of a parka than a hoodie, and it looked warm. I envied it.

“I’m fine.” I muttered, pulling the shawl tighter around me.

“you don’t look fine.” he said, raising his…brow bone? I glared at him. Who did he think he was?

“Gee, thanks.” I muttered.

“ya know, i’m supposed to be on watch for humans. but, ya know, i don’t really care about capturing anybody.” he said with a crooked smile, kneeling down in front of me so that we were eye level. He held out his hand to help me up. “i’m sans. sans the skeleton.”

I gave a small insincere smile, still a bit disgruntled. “Thanks, I guess. _______.” I said, taking his hand, standing. His hand was warm and soft like mine, but all I could see were the bones that made up his fingers and wrist. Along with his hoodie that I envied, he wore a simple white V-neck t-shirt, and basketball shorts.

“i’d watch out for my bro though, he’s hell-bent on capturing a human.” Sans said with a small shrug. “why don’t we go through this gate,” He gestured vaguely. So that’s what it was. “my brother built it, but he made the bars too wide to catch anyone.” Sans said with a chuckle.

I smiled, still not totally sure about this skeleton, but he had an endearment for his brother. Which was touching, considering I hadn’t talked to my brother in two years. We walked along, through the snow, towards what looked like a hiking trail hut, (the ones they hand with random wildlife information), and… a lamp?

“uh, you might want to hide. my brother’s coming.” Sans said, his eyes seeing something that mine couldn’t. I looked dubiously at the lamp, then caught myself.

“Why?” I asked, stubbornly, folding my arms. I didn’t want to hide. And I most definitely did not want to be any closer to the snow than I had to be.

Sans looked at me, confusion flitting across his face, then he seemed kinda impressed, but I couldn’t tell for sure. I gripped my bag, and held my ground. There was no reason to be afraid of a monster. Toriel had taught me that.

“well, here he comes.” Sans said nodding further down the path.

And sure enough, there was a skeleton coming towards us, who towered over both Sans and I, but with a huge smile on his face, but looked slightly annoyed at his brother.

“sup bro?” Sans asked, with feigned casualty.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S ‘SUP’ BROTHER.” The skeleton said in a staccato voice, a voice that was loud, but fit exactly what he looked like. I could tell he wasn’t purposely yelling, but it didn’t stop the memories from coming back. “IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS SINCE YOU RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES!”

Puzzles? Yeah. Okay, sure. More puzzles, why the hell not?

I took the time to really look at his brother. Tall, obviously, but still childlike in a way. He wore polished white armor, and a red scarf that whooshed when he walked. I kinda liked it. The red of his scarf matched his boots, that came half way up his calf-bone-thing. He also wore pants… if I could call them that, they were blue, and looked more like a speedo than pants, but they didn’t seem out of place.

The brothers were bickering about something that I had tuned out, but it seemed if San’s brother was getting irritated, and Sans was enjoying it. Brothers.

“actually I was just chillin’ here, talking to her.” Sans said, drawing the attention to me. I glared daggers at him, he was trying to kill me? He just gave me a crooked smile, like he knew what he was doing. It annoyed me to death. Stupid cocky skeleton. “why don’t you talk to her too?” he asked.

“SANS I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THAT!!” He said, stomping his foot in frustration, making the ground under me shake a bit. I took a half step back, behind Sans, who moved in front of me slightly. I kept my eyes glued on the taller skeleton. “WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH?? I WANT TO BE READY!” He shouted, determined. I raised my eyebrows. Had he never seen a human before? What did he think that I was? How did Sans know who and what I was, but his brother didn’t?

“I WILL BE THE ONE!! I MUST BE THE ONE!! THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE!” He said, rolling his R’s, his scarf billowing in the wind dramatically. “RESPECT, RECOGNITION. I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY…  ‘FRIEND?’ I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING.”

“hmm…” Sans said, a lazy smile on his face. “maybe she can help you.” he said gesturing back to me. I wanted to murder him.

“SANS, YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES!!” Papyrus—isn’t that a font?—said, again, stomping his foot in aggravation. I flinched. “ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERYDAY!!”

“hey, take it easy.” Sans said, I think for my benefit. “i’ve gotten a ton of work done today.” He said, a mischievous look in his eye. If he made a pun so help me God… “a skele-ton.”

I groaned, and covered my face letting out a small chuckle. He was a jokester.

“SANS!!!” Papyrus yelled in dismay. My sentiment matched his.

“come on, you’re smiling.” the skeleton beside me said. I wasn’t sure if it was to me or his brother.

“I AM AND I HATE IT!!” Papyrus answered. I could sympathize. “WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH WORK TO GET RECOGNITION?”

Oh Papyrus. Welcome to the real world.

“wow. sounds like you’re really working yourself… down to the bone.”

Part of me wanted to smack Sans, but the better of me just snickered into the back of my hand.

“UGH!! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES!! AS FOR YOUR WORK… PUT A LITTLE MORE… ‘BACKBONE’ INTO IT.” Papyrus said grinning, and laughing at his own joke. He soon dashed off in the direction he came, to, what I assumed, calibrate his puzzles. What the hell was wrong with this place and puzzles? They were all obsessed.

Sans turned back to me and gave a small smile.

“you ok?” He asked again.

“Peachy,” I made a face. “Your brother is cool, though.” I said, wrapping my arms around me. The cold was really starting to get to me, despite the warmth of my clothes. Stupid good for nothing snow.

“yeah. all brothers are, in my opinion.” He said with a crooked smile.

I shrugged. “Not all of them.” I muttered. There was a reason I hadn’t spoken to my brother in two years. Sans studied me, as if doing so would give him an answer to my vague response.

“so, you’re new here?” He asked, as if I wouldn’t be.

I nodded. “Day or two.” I said flatly. 

“you fell.” It wasn’t a question, but a matter of fact.

“Yeah,” I nudged some snow around with my foot. “Fell.” I squeezed them shut and took a deep breath and put on a fake smile. I began to keep walking forward, and I heard his footsteps as he followed me. There was another bright glowing orb, but I ignored it, too miserable to really care.

Another monster approached me, and God, I was not ready to talk to anyone right now. I felt the beginning of my soul being pulled into the fight, but it suddenly stopped.

“Hey Sans!” The snowflake (?) called. The variety of monsters here never ceased to amaze me. I looked up, and there he was again, slightly in front of me, as if he had heard my silent pleading for help. I moved closer to him, grateful, as he struck up casual conversation with the snowflake monster. I should be doing this not him. Irritation coursed through my veins.

“hey snowdrake. what’s goin’ on.” He said casually, taking the attention off of me. I huffed, and folded my arms.

“Still livin’ the dream, ya know?” Snowdrake said. “Trying to prove my dad wrong.” Sans let out a humorless laugh.

“you and me both.”

I frowned. Did this skeleton have a family complex like I did? 

I thought of my dad, and tears threatened to spill again. I bit down on my lip hard and closed my eyes to keep them at bay. When had I become such an emotional wreck? Well, I could tell you exactly when, it had been a year ago, but… why did this place bring up so many memories I worked so hard to forget?

“he’s gone.” Sans said, as if to calm me down, I nodded, still not trusting myself to open my eyes. 

“do you need a minute?” He asked, not being too pushy. Stupid well meaning skeleton. I nodded again. 

“do you want me to go?”

This question really made me think. Yes, part of me wanted to be left alone to gather myself, but having him here, the past twenty minutes, had been more of a relief than I had thought, despite annoying me to pieces. He was there, without me asking, without pitying me either.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to be alone. It was selfish, but true.

“ok,” was all he said.

I could hear a rustling in front of me, seemingly coming from him, and I dared to open my eyes. He was shrugging out of his jacket., then reaching to give it to me.

“God, no Sans, don’t.” I protested. I didn’t want to be a charity case, and I didn’t want to be babied either. I could take care of myself.

“take it.” He more ordered than offered. “wouldn’t want you…  chilled to the bone.”

I gasped out a bit of hopeless laughter at his pun. He gave another crooked smile, and watched as I took the jacket from his hands, gripping it tight, more than making an effort of wearing it. It was warm and soft in my hands, as if it was made of a silky fur on the outside.

“I don’t need charity.” I said, taking off my bag from Toriel reluctantly, along with the shawl, and shrugging his jacket on. God, it was warm.

“i know.” He said with a lazy smile.

“I’m not some project either, I don’t need to be babied.” I voiced, with a surprising boldness, my annoyance finally coming through. My bag was back over my shoulder, and I was much warmer; No longer, ‘chilled to the bone.’

“never said you were.”

I stared at him, studying him. “Thank you.” I said curtly, but I wasn’t sure if it was to his acknowledgement to my statements, or his jacket. Maybe both.

He looked slimmer without the jacket, which was now keeping me warm. His shirt didn’t cling to his ribs, though. It was as if his skin, muscles and everything else that made me up were invisible on him. Monsters were weird, I concluded.

I looked at the trees around me, they were more like evergreens than the towering trunks I had seen earlier. More Christmas-y. There was a path leading north, so I decided to follow it, instead of the one ahead of me, which I knew I should take but didn’t feel like it. As I trekked, Sans walked beside me, not saying anything, leaving me to my thoughts. I was grateful.

I heard the water before I saw it. There was a great river before me, running to the west, and a fishing pole in the water. I decided to leave it be, lest I ruin a fisherman’s catch. I did sit down on the snowy bank, watching the water.

“My dad used to take me fishing,” I said to the water, as if it were sentient. “Used to catch little crabs on the shore and use them as bait. Had to stay still for a while, so the crabs would come out of their holes.”

“are you close with your dad?” Sans asked, his voice surprising me a little. It had a ring of melancholy in it, along with curiosity. I didn’t want to answer, but I found myself doing it anyway.

“When I was little, yeah. We don’t talk much anymore.” I sighed, hugging my knees. Sans didn’t press me for more. I stared at the water for a bit, letting my mind wander, but when it started wandering in the wrong direction, I quickly looked for a distraction. Sans gave me one.

“there’s a town, a bit of ways from here, if you want to go to it, and find someplace warm.” He offered. I nodded, and got up to my feet. A town sounded nice, and would give me a goal at least.

Sans lead me down the path we came and headed to the left, passed a box and a sigh that I didn’t bother to read. I had no need of a box, with my bag slung securely over my shoulder.  We again walked in silence, but it wasn’t awkward; it didn’t have to be.

I could hear his voice before I saw him. I stopped in my tracks.

“oh god.” I heard Sans mutter and take a step closer, so that he was again, in front of me. It didn’t annoy me as much this time.

“BROTHER! AFTER THINKING ABOUT OUR CONVERSATION EARLIER, I NOW UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE INDEED DONE YOUR JOB OF CAPTURING A HUMAN!! THOUGH YOUR USUAL LAZINESS THREW ME OFF!!” Papyrus said, coming closer, Sans moved closer too. I now began to worry exactly what the Royal Guard ensued. “BUT FEAR NOT BROTHER, FOR ONE OF MY PUZZLES SHALL SURELY CAPTURE HER, AND SHE WILL BE TAKEN TO THE CAPITAL, AND THEN, WELL I’M NOT SURE WHAT THEN… BUT I WILL BE POPULAR, AND THEY WILL HAVE NO CHOICE TO MAKE ME THE HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!!!” Papyrus shouted enthusiastically.

Captured? The Capital??

“Sans…” I said, wanting to bolt. He raised his arms, ever so slightly, protectively.

“cool bro.” Sans said with feigned disinterest. “why don’t you go set some of the puzzles up?” He suggested. My heart raced. Were they both in on this? Was this their game? One would be intimidating, the other would invite me in… and then they’d take me to the Capital? To be what… slaughtered?

I took a step back, my senses screaming at me to run. I knew I couldn’t trust him, and I was right. I was alone. I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks.

For the third time, he asked me—

“are you okay?” Papyrus had gone, but I didn’t care.

“Is that your game then?” I whispered. “Put on this act so you can lure me in! So, I’ll just come when you call!?” I started shouting. It felt good to finally yell at someone. Shock flitted across his face. He seemed almost hurt, as if my accusations stung him.

“what? no. no! hey, that’s not what…” He stumbled for an answer. I was in no mood to listen. I walked away from him, in the direction we had been going. He was calling to me, but I didn’t listen. I was furious. 

God, I had decided to trust him. To trust someone, after such a long time of loss and pain, and he was like all the others. Only in it for themselves. Pain flooded back along with the memories I tried, and tried, and tried not to think about. The ones that made me feel small, and afraid, and scared. Like a little girl hiding from the nightmares that lurked behind her bedroom door.

I suddenly felt my soul get ripped from my chest as it entered a fight. Another snow themed monster appeared before me. My feet hit the ground running. I didn’t want to fight, so I fled. I ran, crying, not looking where I was going.

Again, if I was paying more attention, I wouldn’t have slipped.

I wouldn’t have fallen.

I flailed, and my arms flew out, to brace for the impact, but it never came.

Strong arms wrapped around me and steadied me on the ice beneath my feet. I knew who it was. I didn’t even have to open my eyes.

“Let me go.” I whispered, begging. I couldn’t feel small, weak. Not again. “Please,”

“please, listen,” Sans begged.

I shook my head. I was stupid, to let him in. Just like I was stupid to let Toriel in. He would leave. He would hurt me. He would lead me to my own death.

“please,” He sounded so broken, as his arms uncurled themselves from around my waist. My knees shook, and I slowly sunk to the ground sobbing. It was cold, and hard, just like the truth I had to face.

“Why? Why did you do it?” I rasped. “Why were you so nice? Why…?” I was shaking, and I didn’t know if it was from the cold or not.

“she asked me to.” He said softly. I looked up confused. “the lady behind the door. she was really worried about you. she said you jumped at shadows, and had little to no self-preservation. she begged me to look after you, more than she had with anyone before.” He was rambling, but his explanation made complete sense. Toriel had asked him to look out for me. And he did. Though his ways of doing so were a little questionable, and irritable.

“But Papyrus?” I asked, trying hard not to think of Toriel.

“i know, i’m sorry for that. but the focus couldn’t be on you, and i know how much he loves his puzzles, and that asking him to do that would make him leave.” He explained, then sat down next to me, and stared at the ground. “i see how you act when he’s around. you flinch when he gets aggressive, and you shy away from his yelling.”

I looked down, was I really that jumpy at things? I didn’t think I was, but I wasn’t surprised. I worried my lip. Did he see right through me?

“and i also know that you don’t just ‘fall’ down here.” He said, lowly. Oh.

“I’m sorry.” I murmured, after a while, when my thoughts were collected, and I was out of my panic attack. “I didn’t mean to… I just, have had a hard time seeing the best in people lately.”

“’sokay, i can totally see how it would seem that way.” He sighed. “are you ok?”

“Not really.” I said truthfully.

“physical or otherwise?” He asked.

“Otherwise, you kept me from falling.” I smiled at him weakly. My fingers slowly declawed themselves from my arms, and I tried to stand, but slipped. Yet again, I didn’t fall.

“seems like you keep fallin’ for me.” Sans chuckled in my ear, righting me.

I rolled my eyes, and carefully made my way off the icy patch that was under us.

“You’re terrible.” I said, walking around the ice. He laughed, something carefree and calming.

In front of me I could see a snowman. I walked slowly towards it, making sure that my feet and legs would still do what I wanted them to. Sans walked beside me, as he did before.

No surprise, the snowman talked.

“Hello, I am a snowman.” The snowman said in a pleasant way.

“Hello,” I said back.

“I want to see the world, but cannot move. If you would be so kind, as to take a piece of me, and bring it as far as you can go.” He asked.

“Uh, aren’t you going to melt?” I asked, Sans chuckled beside me. “What?” I demanded from him, annoyed.

“he’s magic. he won’t melt.” Sans said as if it were obvious.

“Well excuse me for thinking logically.” I huffed, and took a piece of the snowman.

“Thank you,” The snowman said. “Good luck.” I smiled and nodded, and with a quick thought, the snowman piece was gone, and somewhere in my bag, I heard a buzz.

“what the…?” Sans asked.

“It’s magic.” I drawled, with a smirk. He grinned back.

“shall we?” he offered, gesturing back to the path. I nodded, and walked back down the path, and carefully around the ice patch.

“wait,” Sans called, pulling my hand back.

“What?” I asked, look at his hand in mine, raising my eyebrows. He quickly released my hand, and his cheeks flushed a slight blue. I gave an small smile.

“my brother is up ahead. there’s a puzzle. it’ll be okay.’ He looked down. “my brother is harmless, i swear. i know you don’t like being around him.” I opened my mouth to say something, to explain, but he held his hand up, stopping me. “you don’t need to explain it to me, it’s okay. but i promise, he won’t hurt you.”

I nodded. “Thanks,” I said to the ground, my emotions confusing themselves.

Sans’ brother did bring back some memories that I didn’t like, but I could do a puzzle. I had gotten this far by doing them, hadn’t I? I took a deep breath.

“Okay.” I said, nodding. “Let’s go.”

“you sure?” He asked, hesitantly.

“Yeah,” I said with a slightly fake smile. “You worry too much. I can take care of myself.”

He chuckled. “i don’t doubt that.” He said as we walked along.

And sure enough, there was Papyrus, standing across an open field of snow, smiling brightly. I couldn’t help but smile back.

“MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! THIS ONE IS RATHER…SHOCKING! FOR YOU SEE THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE!!” Papyrus called over to us. “THIS ORB WILL DEAL QUITE A SHOCK!”

“Sans…” I said. I knew that electrocution was a bad was to die, hence the electric chair being ‘cruel and unusual punishment.’ I didn’t not want to be anywhere near anything that would replicate that.

“just wait.” He soothed, drawing closer to me. “go ahead, take a step forward.” He chuckled. I decided to trust him, begrudgingly. Taking a step, something buzzed, and I flinched, anticipating pain, but Papyrus got zapped instead of me.

“SANS!!! WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?” Papyrus demanded. I might have flinched.

“i think she has to be holding the orb.” Sans said, chuckling.

“OH, OKAY.”

Papyrus made his way across the field, his boots leaving clear prints in the snow, in a pattern. He was soon in front of me, towering, holding his orb out to me.

“PLEASE HOLD THIS HUMAN!” He said. I took it from his hand. The orb was smooth and shiny, kinda like the Fushigi ball that would break a toe if you dropped it. I rolled it around in my hand, giving it a small smile. Sans nudged my shoulder with his. Oh. Right.

I carefully took a step out into the snowy field, the white powder crunching under my boots. I followed Papyrus’ footsteps, slowly, trying to keep calm. With Sans beside me, I wasn’t panicking as much as I thought I would have. I made my way to the other side of the field, and let out the breath I didn’t realize that I was holding.

“YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY!! …TOO EASILY… HOWEVER THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE SO EASY!! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED!! I KNOW I AM!” Papyrus struck a pose and dashed off into the snow before us.

I looked at Sand with wide eyes, and laughed, tossing the orb onto the snow.

“see what i mean?” Sans asked. I nodded. “see what he’s wearing?” I nodded again. “he made it for a costume party and hasn’t taken it off since.”

I smiled, thinking of my various cosplay costumes sitting in my closet, back in my apartment. Most of them were handmade, or upcycled. Hey, I knew how to sew and use a hot glue gun.

“He’s pretty okay.” I concluded. I continued walking forward, with Sans by my side.

“you hungry?” He asked, as we walked by a food stand, with a teenage rabbit tending it. I shrugged. He rolled his eyes, and moseyed over to the cart and came back with an ice-cream cone.

“Ice-cream? In the middle of winter? You’ve got to be kidding me.” I scoffed.

Sans rolled his eyes at me. I narrowed my eyes at him, to which he gave me a counter look, and took the ice-cream from his hand. I dubiously licked at the ice-cream, and felt better. It wasn’t cold, like I thought it would be, though it did taste like ice-cream. It made me feel more relaxed, less tense, like it was lavender infused or something.

Sans was grinning at me, as I licked at the cone in my hand, the question of how in my eyes.

“monster food. it’s mostly magic,” He explained.

I mean, sure it made sense. I still wasn’t sure about the sales tactic, of having ice-cream in the middle of a winter wonderland, but it was good nonetheless. I offered him the cone.

“Want some?” 

“you should really eat it all. you need the energy.” He said. I gave him a look.

“And you don’t? You bought it, you should at least get some.” I prompted, not giving him a choice, as he had done to me. 

“heh. well…” He took the cone from my hand and…  licked it? With a tongue that wasn’t there? I didn’t think about it too hard, because he passed the cone back to me, and I continued eating it, feeling better with every bite. 

We walked along, in the snow—God, when would the snow end?—when I noticed a snowball and a hole in the distance. I figured it was a sort of game, but I had nowhere near enough hand-eye-coordination for something like that. Wiping my slightly sticky hands on my jeans after finishing the cone, I noticed that there were two more sentry stations ahead of us, then a dead end. I headed south, past the ball game, sighing at it wistfully. 

“Can you do magic?” I asked him as we were walking along. Part of me was curious. His silence made me nervous.  “Oh, God, should I not have asked that?’ I said, rushing. My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment when I noticed he was laughing. I smiled and bit my bottom lip, still not entirely over my embarrassment. 

“you’re different, ya know that?” He said, still chuckling a bit.

“Gee thanks, just what every girl wants to hear.” I rolled my eyes. He smiled and shook his head. 

“yes, i can.” He said, kinda sadly. 

“Can I see?” I asked. 

“i pray you never do.” He said softly. I frowned at his words.

“Why?” I asked, indulging my curiosity once again. He didn’t speak. “Or not… you don’t have to.” I said. “Sorry, if I was being pushy, or invasive…” 

“no, that’s not it... “ He trailed off. He chuckled dryly and shook his head. “it’s just a lot to explain, i guess.” 

“Oh,” I replied, looking at the ground. 

“here,” Sans said, nudging my arm with his. “watch.” He gestured towards the snowball, not twenty yards from us. 

It began to move, surrounded with a slightly blue tinge, gliding across the ground swiftly and easily. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was incredible. The snowball rolled easily into the hole, and with the completion of the game, a red flag raised. I was grinning in wonder. 

“That’s so cool.” I said, looking at the flag. I picked up the few gold pieces on the ground from the snowball game and offered them to him. He shook his head. 

“Keep them.” He said. 

“How did you…?” I said, shoving the gold into my bag.

“well, magic obviously.” He said. I gave him a look. “gravity magic.” 

“So like telekinesis?” I pondered. 

“yeah, somethin’ like that.” He said, rather glum again. I nudged him shoulder and smiled.

“Thanks, for, ya know, showing me.” It was a start of something, I felt. 

He chuckled and shook his head. “you are somethin’ else.” 

“So you keep telling me.” I responded. “We’re there others before me?” The question had been burning inside, ever since he explained to me what Toriel had asked him to do.

“yeah,” He said, like it was a bad memory. “they’re all, um…”

“Gone?” I supplied, talking to him seemed to come easily. 

“yeah. they weren’t all as determined as you were, well, are.” He said. 

I let out a little giggle at his harmless reference to Wicked. He looked at me, as if he was missing something—which he was—and I shook my head. I don’t think he’d ever understand. I think I had the soundtrack on my phone. If it wasn’t dead.

“they were just kids though,” Sans told me. 

I couldn’t fathom how a child could make it through here, but, maybe with their innocence, and wonder, and imagination, it would prove too hard. They didn’t know the dangers of the real world yet. 

Sans and I walked in thoughtful silence, we came upon a table with spaghetti and a microwave. I laughed, despite myself. Sans did too. There was a note:

 

‘HUMAN, PLEASE ENJOY THIS SPAGHETTI! LITTLE DO YOU KNOW THIS SPAGHETTI IS A TRAP! DESIGNED TO ENTICE YOU!! YOU’LL BE SO BUSY EATING IT, THAT YOU WON’T BE PROGRESSING!! THOROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!”

 

I let out a little laugh. The spaghetti was frozen to the table, and I was not going to sacrifice my fingernails trying to get it onto the adjoining microwave. I could see what Sans meant by harmless. Papyrus seemed really cool, and nice. I just wish I wasn’t so on edge around him. Yet another thing taken from me because of… I sighed. Bygones are bygones. No use in crying over spilled milk.

“uh... you good?” sans asked. I was pulled from my thoughts, wallowing, and turned to look at him. He looked slightly worried. 

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” I replied, leaving the note on the table. “Just… thinking.” 

“come on,” Sans nodded towards the path. 

We heading over, and I shoved my hands in the pockets of Sans’ jacket, my fingers freezing. What I wouldn’t give for some HotHands right now. They were nice for cold weather. I wished for the sunshine and warmth of my hometown. Sure, we melted during the summer, but it didn’t snow in the winter. Near Mt. Ebott it snowed almost every winter, and I hated it. 

There was a sign at the head of the path:

 

_ ‘Warning: Dog Marriage. (Yes, you read that right.)’ _

 

I looked to Sans for an answer, and he looked as baffled as I was. Again, monsters were weird, and I was beginning to love it. 

The path broke into two fields, one ahead, and one to the south. I trekked forward, and found that it was a dead end. I ran my fingers—despite the cold— along the fronds of the evergreens in the field, my mind going back to the summers I would spend in New England, with family. At least those memories were good memories. 

Sans was watching me, from a distance, was suddenly in front of me when I tripped over something hidden in the snow. He chuckled and set me right. I glared at him a little, and bent down to see what I tripped over. It was a damn switch. I growled at it. I could hear Sans laughter. And despite my utter hatred for the stupid thing, I pressed the switch, and heard a clicking sound. This place and its God-forsaken puzzles.

I decided to walk down to the southern path, walking carefully—no more switches will trip me, thank you very much— and made my way over to what looked like lowered spikes. My heart yearned for Toriel and the Ruins. Crossing a little bridge, with no handrails that sent my anxiety for a spin, I felt my soul being pulled into a fight. I smiled. I was ready for this one. 

I came upon two dogs.

“What’s that smell?” One asked and the other mimicked the first dog’s words. 

“If you’re a smell…”

“...identify yoursmelf!” They finished each other’s sentence. 

“Where’s that weird smell?”

“It smells like Sans… but not.” The dogs pondered. I looked to Sans, who was frozen, not sure what to do. I gave him a reassuring smile. I was okay, I could do this. My brain—or was it my soul?— finally supplied the names of these dogs: Dogamy, and Dogaressa. They seemed to be snuggling each other… 

I slowly approached the dogs as my first move, and held out my hand, for them to smell, like I would for new dogs back home. They seemed to sniff my hands, and Sans’ jacket. I could feel them become less suspicious of me. Their attack is what I wasn’t ready for. 

It was circles of little hearts, coming from both of them, towards another, but some of them were blue. I didn’t know what that meant, and thinking back to the Vegitoid, I moved into one, and suddenly felt a sharp pain spread through my soul. I gasped, trying to get air back into my lungs. 

“shit.” I heard Sans curse, yelling my name. I looked up, shocked. That was the first time he had ever used my name. “stop on blue!” He yelled at me. 

His words registered, and I nodded, and gave him a weak smile. He looked extremely tense, and like he was ready to jump in front of me to save me. I didn’t need to be saved. 

Since the dogs were close, I went to pet one, and it seemed to let me. I get ready for their next attack, and almost had a heart attack when I saw it. It was two gigantic axes, coming right down on me. I squawked as they came down on me, and moved my soul out of the way, but it wasn’t enough. Maybe I did need to be saved. I closed my eyes and waited for the attack, the blow that would cripple me, but it didn’t come. I felt my soul back inside my chest, safe and sound. 

I opened my eyes, and saw Sans in front of me, his hands glowing a fierce blue, snarling deeply at the two dogs. The mear sound of it made me shrink back in fear, but his anger wasn’t directed at me, and I prayed that it never would be. The two axes were held in the air, glowing blue like his hand. Gravity magic. 

“move.” He growled—to me, I think—but my feet wouldn’t work. I was too enthralled by the scene before me. 

I let out a squeak, and fell back into the snow. Sans whipped around and glared at me, his left eye burning blue, like his hands. Panic ran through my veins, and I could feel tears stinging my eyes. This was too close. Too much like what had made me fall to pieces. I felt the panic rising, the fear of being struck.

He immediately squeezed his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists. He struggled through a deep breaths before opening his eyes again, the blue fire fading from his hands. They were back to normal, the two little pin pricks, looking earnestly into mine, screaming a silent apology. I stared at him, shock on my face, and fear in my soul. 

He backed away slowly. 

I then realized what he had done before he turned on me. He took my soul out of the fight, and replaced it with his own, taking the threat of the attack on himself.

“Sans…” I breathed out. My hand reached for him.

“i’m sorry. i’m so sorry _______, i’ll go.” He said painfully, going to turn away.

“No,” I begged, tears running down my cheeks, making cold tracks on my face. “Please, please stay…” I couldn’t be alone. Not now.

“i’m so sorry.” He whispered. I wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for.

“Sans, please, I… I need you.” I admitted. It was scary, and fast, but God I did. “I can’t do this without you… please. Stay.” I pleaded. 

He studied me, looking like he was going to bolt at any moment, but he didn’t. He let out a ragged sigh, and took my hand and pulled my off of the snow, and wrapped me in a hug. He was warm, despite his lack of jacket; warm and strong. I let sobs rack my frame, my panic attack getting the better of my judgement. I could feel his fingers curl themselves into my hair as he mumbled apologies.

We stayed like that for a long while, as the panic slowly drained my system, along with my tears. My soul slowly pulled itself back together. Sans didn’t stop apologizing to me, so matter how much I had told him to stop. My shoulder was wet just like his was.

“i’m sorry.” He apologized again.

“I forgive you.” I said, again. I worried my lip, and looked down. Exhaustion swept over me in a wave, and I suddenly wasn’t sure of my own feet. 

“you need to rest.” He said, eyeing me warily. 

I huffed. Sleep sounded nice, and water, divide, from the headache that was forming from my most recent crying. Well, all of it, really. I didn’t stop earlier because I didn’t think I had the choice. 

“What do you want me to do?” I asked, mad at the world, my tone a bit sharper than I wanted it to be. “Sleep in the snow? Get hypothermia? Freeze to death?” I said, now raising my voice. I closed my eyes, and took a breath, calming myself, and rubbing my face. “Sorry…” I mumbled. “I… I just met you today…” I began to rationalize out loud. “I’m in a place I don’t know, filled with people who are seemingly all trying to kill me. And then there’s you, who have been there. Overprotective and caring, like you already know me, and are still here, despite my constant mood swings and falling apart. I… Do you know who I am?” I asked, looking at him. 

“not before today.” He sighed and folded his arms, hugging himself. 

I sighed. “I don’t even know if I trust you.” I said with a small voice. I could feel him wince at that. 

A quiet moment passed. 

“I want to.” I whispered, realizing the truth. I wanted to trust him. I wanted to have someone I could trust. It had been too long. Way too long. 

“will you let me take you somewhere warm? safe? where no one will try to hurt you. you can rest, and eat something?” He offered, looking at me, his eyes filled with hope.

I wanted to trust him. God, I did. And after what he had just done, I felt like I owed him something. I could give him enough trust, just this once, to try to build something. I wanted warm. I wanted safe. 

I sighed and nodded. I could trust him. At least this once. It didn’t have to be forever. 

He let out a sigh of relief. A smile played at my lips.

“No more puzzles?” I asked, letting the smile break through, biting my bottom lip.

He let out a chuckle. “No more puzzles.” He promised. 

I picked up my bag from the snow—it had gotten thrown during the fight— and looked to him for some direction. He simply reached his hand out into the empty space before us, and his fingertips glowed blue with magic. His fingers easily slid into the air around us, disappearing, as if they were in water, pulling apart reality before me. His hand traced all the way down to the ground, glowing blue, and cutting a doorway in front of us, to somewhere I never had been, or seen before. 

“do you trust me?” He asked, holding his hand out. I nodded and took it, and we stepped through the doorway through reality together. 

Now I only had a thousand questions. 

But the place we were held my attention. It was a diner, and bar, warm and cozy, with different monsters, all chatting happily. Most of them said hello to Sans, one of them calling him ‘Sansy’ to my amusement. Yet, these weren’t what struck my interest at all. It was the bartender. He was made of fire, his body cackling like a bonfire. A harmless Human Torch. Older, too. He wore a white button up under a black vest, and a bowtie, and a pair of spectacles that seemed to float where his eyes should be with no nose to support them.

I felt a twinge in my heart, as he reminded me of my grandfather. 

Sans, nodded to the fire bartender, who cackled and hissed a response—that reminded me of an actual fire—and led me to a booth to the side, and I slid in the one side, and he the other.

“his name is grillby.” Sans filled in, “this is his place.” 

“Oh,” I said looking around. It seemed as if the Eagles’ music was coming from an old jukebox in the corner. How did they get that music down here? And was it really playing on vinyl? 

The bartender—Grillby—brought out a plate for me, with a burger and fries on it. He moved so gracefully, it was mesmerizing. I watched in awe, and barely got out a thank you. He crackled a response, that I had no idea what it meant. He hesitated for a moment, then went back to the bar, and continued to clean glasses. 

“You’re not gonna eat?” I asked Sans, putting ketchup on my burger, and a small pool for my fries.

“nah.” 

I stared flatly at him. “You need to eat too,” I said, taking a bite of the burger. Which tasted as amazing as the icecream did earlier, but I expected nothing less. I felt my strength returning.

“yeah well…” He shrugged. I sighed. I wouldn’t push him on it, because I knew that I didn’t eat sometimes either.

“So that doorway?” I asked. 

“magic,” He said. I rolled my eyes. 

“Well, no duh.” 

He chuckled, as I took another bite from my burger.

“fine. i’ll talk if you talk after.” He proposed. 

“Fine,” I said, worrying about that ‘talking’ ensued, but it was only fair. 

“they’re doorways through time, and space, i suppose.” He said. I munched on a fry. “It’s like knowing i’ll be somewhere, and getting there, before the destined time. i know this place fairly well, and well, here we are.” He explained. 

“So did we time travel?” I asked, eating more of the burger. 

“no, that’s where the space part comes in, we just moved, sorta. time is fluid, and can be bent, and so can space. i can use both, to move places, without changing the time.”

“Huh, is that how you caught me all those times?” I asked, piecing things together.

He grinned and nodded. “klutz.” He drawled.

I simply rolled my eyes. “Are we in that town then? The one you talked about?”

He nodded. “yeah, it’s called snowdin. my brother and i have a home not far from here.” He said, stealing a fry from me. I gave him a playful glare. “now, your turn,” He said. I pushed my mostly eaten food away from me, and sighed. 

“What do you want to know?” I asked, staring at my hands, that rested on the table.

“why are you so jumpy around my brother?” He asked quickly, as if the question had been burning in his mind. 

I let out a hopeless laugh. “My brother.” 

It was an explanation. It really was. Those two words seemed to be an explanation for most of my life at this point. 

Sans looked at me, waiting for me to say more. I sighed. Right. He talked, so I talked. He took me somewhere warm and safe, and gave me food. I decided I could afford to trust him more now. 

“He, was— is—nothing like your brother.” I told the table. I worried my lip, trying to find the right words, to somehow explain what my brother had done to me. 

“he abused you.” Sans said softly. I looked up, and his expression was unreadable. I gave a pathetic-feeling nod.

“It was rarely physical, mostly verbal, but it wears away at you, ya know?” I said, again to the table, a lot calmer than I thought I would have been. Since Sans had gotten the words out that I couldn’t, it didn’t seem so hard now. “I was really young, and his biting words were always there. ‘Ignore it,’ my parents would tell me. ‘He’s just teasing,’” I made weak air quotes. I sighed. “Teasing doesn’t leave that kinda damage.” I repeated my mantra. 

“________,” Sans said gently. I looked up. He was staring at me in disbelief. “how long?”

“Seventeen years.” I bit back tears. “Wasn’t even the worst of it. When he got older, he got stronger… it got so much worse,”I whispered and looked at the table lost in the thought of the screaming matches, and the sound of broken glass and slamming doors. A little girl, hiding, crying, in her bedroom all alone, shaking behind a locked door, clinging to a pillow. 

“hey, hey. it’s okay. you don’t have to talk anymore. i’m sorry i asked all that of you. please don’t cry.” He said softly and gently, his hands resting over mine.

I took one hand away to wipe my cheeks and run my fingers through my hair, then placed it back with his. His hands were always so warm, and after being in Grillby’s for so long, I had finally begun to defrost from the snow. 

“Sorry.” I murmured. 

“don’t apologize. it’s not your fault.” 

I didn’t know if he was talking about the conversation, or what I had told him in said conversation. 

Grillby came over and set a mug of something warm in front of me without a word. The smell reminded me of hot chocolate. I looked around, and realized that the diner was mostly empty, and Sans and I were the only ones there, along with bartender. I laced my fingers around the mug and took a therapeutic sip of the warm liquid. I was right, it tasted like hot chocolate, but of course, better. What was in this magic food?

“is that why you… fell?” He asked, after a moment. I gave a hopeless laugh. 

“Would you believe my life is worse than that?” I offered humorlessly. I rubbed my face and looked up at him. “Sorry I’m whining,” 

“what? god no, don’t apologize. you’re not whining. besides, i asked you, so my fault.” He consoled. He sighed. “sorry i asked.”

I gave a small smile. “We did have a deal.” I countered.

He chuckled. “i suppose we did.” Sans paused. “are you ready to go?” He asked, looking at my finished mug of hot cocoa. I nodded. 

“Yeah, I guess. Where to?” I questioned. 

“well, there’s an inn down the way, or you can come stay with paps and i.” He offered kindly.. I gave him a smile.

“Your place sounds nice.” I replied.

“do you wanna take a shortcut, or walk through town?”

His question made me think. I did want to see where we were outside of this cozy little diner, but going out into the snow didn’t sound like the most appealing thing in the world. Yet, walking to clear my head might be good for me. 

“We can walk.” I decided.

The town was absolutely lovely. Of course it was all covered in snow, but it wasn’t the bitter cold like out in the forest. It was like Christmas, my point being further proved when I saw a decorated tree in the town square. There were monsters milling around it, most of them a variation of woodland creatures, and all uniquely charming. 

Sans and I passed a library, and came upon a cabin-like home, two stories, and decorated in multi-colored Christmas lights. It looked warm and inviting, and there was a wreath on the door as well. Sans stopped in front of the door, with a sheepish smile on his face. It dawned on me that this is where he and Papyrus lived. He took a key-ring from his pocket and selected a key, before unlocking the door, and opening it for me.

“home sweet home.” I heard him mutter.

I stepped inside. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments give me something to look at during the day. They're always appreciated and welcome. 
> 
> Til next time kiddos.


	3. Moments Like These

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies.  
> How was your day? Are you drinking enough water? Don't make me mother you. 
> 
> Here's another chapter of my babies meeting new people and dealing with new things, while fighting through old things.  
> There's a slight cliffhanger, but hey, they're fun...  
> For me. 
> 
> I love you guys, and your support, whether that be commenting, leaving kudos, bookmarking, or simply reading it. It brings me joy. 
> 
> I also have comic con this weekend with mrblueremeberyou, so it might be a while for the next chapter. 
> 
> Anyway, get a glass of water and enjoy!
> 
> Love, Mamma Marri

The warmth of his home hit me like a brick wall, making my eyes water; yet, I welcomed it with open arms. I wasn’t used to the cold, so any heat that I could get I wasn’t going to complain about.

A smile played at my lips as I looked around his home. The walls were a muted maroon, a color that was more red than blue and paired wonderfully with the plush blue carpet under my feet.

Sans came in behind me, and tossed the keys on a table that was along the east wall of the main room; which consisted of a green couch, and wooden end table, and a TV with a stand. My eyes followed the west side, up a flight of stairs, and I could see two doors in the upstairs from where I was standing.

Sans was watching me carefully, as if I might run off screaming, but then made his way upstairs; to the further of the two doors upstairs. I left him to it.

I took a deep breath, and their house smelled just like Sans’ jacket: pine needles, cedar wood, faintly of coffee and…oregano? I thought about Papyrus and his spaghetti and didn’t think much of it. The smell calmed and invited me in.

I kicked out of my boots and left them by the door, letting my socked feet sink into the plush carpet. Running my fingers through my hair, I explored a bit more. I left my bag on the table where Sans had thrown his keys, figuring it’d be safe there. In front of me, adjacent to the main room was the kitchen, which had all the necessities. The floor was a soft yellow and orange checkered pattern that matched the soft yellow walls. Walking back out, I grabbed my bag and made my way to the couch. I sat on the very end, taking up as little room as possible.

‘Don’t impose.’ My mother’s voice rang through my head. I halfheartedly shoved the thought out and dug through the bag to find my phone—my phone, not the one Toriel had given me. It was at the very bottom. Of course, but hey, it wasn’t dead. I felt better with it in my hands. I didn’t even turn the screen on, I just kept it in my hands, clinging to it. This phone being the only proof that this wasn’t some bizarre dream.

I might have been trapped underground, but I had never felt more free. I had no one to answer to, no one to try to appease. There was no constant looming stress on my shoulders. I was free.

This time I did turn my phone screen on, just to see my wallpaper. It was my grandpa, smiling and holding a Captain America shield toy that I got my father one year for his birthday. It didn’t hurt as much as it had before, looking at the picture. It made me happy, because he was no longer the only thing I had left. There was a whole new world I could explore, love, and live for.

“who’s that?” Sans asked. I nearly jumped a foot in the air when I heard his voice.

“Don’t! Do that!” I scolded, trying to restart my heart.

“sorry.” He said, sitting next to me on the couch, but not too close. Nor did he lean against the back like I was, curled up, with my knees tucked in front of me. No, he was sitting on the edge, leaning his elbows on his knees.

I gave him a quick smile, letting him know I accepted his apology. He just moved so quietly!

“It’s… my grandpa.” I got out, slowly, focusing on each syllable. “He, uh… died a year back. A year today.” I barely whispered.

“oh. i’m sorry.” He apologized quietly, sincerely.

“Yeah, me too.” I whispered.

“well, i didn’t bring you here to make you sad again.” He said with a crooked smile. “i just made sure there were clean towels, and sheets and stuff upstairs for you. you can stay in my room for as long as you’re here.”

“Oh, God Sans, thanks. You don’t have to do that. I’m okay on the couch. Or even the floor. Don’t – ” he held up his hand to stop me, “…inconvenience yourself…” I finished.

He shook his head. “trust me, it’s not an inconvenience. it really isn’t.”

I looked down at my hands, but his calling of my name made me lift my eyes.

“let someone take care of you. let me.” He pleaded softly. I bit my lip and nodded.

“I’ll go shower then,” I said with a small smile.

“only door on the right."

I took my bag with me, and headed upstairs, carefully holding the handrail—lest I fall, uncoordinated being my middle name—and made my way to their bathroom. I flicked on the lights, and closed the door behind me, locking it. I placed my bag on the counter, and immediately went to stripping my cold and semi-damp clothes. The bathroom was blue, and probably on the small side to some, but not to me. It was about the size of the one I had in my childhood home, with a sink, toilet, and shower with a tub. There was a small window covered with frost on the back wall in the shower, filtering in soft light from outside. I could see the colors of the Christmas lights that were on the gable of the house shining through.

As Sans had said, there were towels hanging on racks just outside of the shower, again blue.

Neatly folded on the counter next to my bag, there was a folded pile… of…  something. Upon closer examination, I saw that the pile was clothes: a white t-shirt, grey sweatpants and a pair of socks. I smiled in spite of myself.

‘let someone take care of you. let me.’ my mind echoed his words as I started the water of the shower and waited for it to warm, leaving the clothes where they were for when I got out.

I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. The girl peering back was a little wild looking, with her wide eyes, messy hair, and the determined look on her face. I gave the mirror a smile, the reflection looking more like me again.

Stepping into the shower, I tugged the curtain across and let out a sigh of relief. The warm water was more than heavenly. I washed quickly, and turned the water as hot as it would go, until it scalded my skin, it felt perfect. It almost made me forget the frosty wonderland outside. I stood there in the hot water, and let myself unwind.

I thought about Sans, and who he was, and what he had done for me. Part of me, the not so nice part, said that he was only doing it because Toriel had asked him to, and that was it. Yet another part of me thought it was something more than that. He seemed to know all of my miniscule acts of depression, and anxiety—as though he knew what to look for. My heart ached for the skeleton when I pieced it together. He knew what to look for because he was there himself, or had been. Still, he tried, like I did, to make someone else’s life better, despite falling apart. It made me want to help him like he helped me, and I was determined to do so.

Shutting off the water reluctantly, I reached for a towel and began drying off. I scrounged through my bag for my toothbrush, towel securely wrapped around me. I found it, along with toothpaste that Toriel must have had somewhere. I silently thanked her.

I pulled myself together, slowly, on the outside. Brushing my teeth, then hair, then toweling my hair again before finally brushing it one last time into something respectable. I got dressed, in the clothes that Sans had given to me, and inhaled deeply. Everything he’d given me thus far of his seemed to always smell strongly of wood and rain. A comfort, I thought, recalling my hometown, though he had no idea.

I hung up my towel and stashed everything else, including my dirty clothes, back in my bag. Unlocking the door, I headed into the hallway.

I saw that the door to Sans’ room was propped open slightly. I drew closer to it, quietly, and gave a small knock, not wanting to barge in.

“yeah?” Sans called from somewhere inside.

“Can I come in?” I asked. I could hear him laugh.

“yes, you can, come on.” He teased me half-heartedly, “i’m not gonna bite.”

I pushed the door open, and took in his room. It was big, but semi-empty. There was a bed in the right corner, and a dresser with a lamp beside it, but no other furniture. There was a window above his bed, and, on the right wall, a slider door to what looked like an outside deck. The walls were the same reddish color as downstairs, but my feet were on hardwood flooring.

He was sitting on his bed, waiting for me. I dropped my bag on the ground by the door, which I closed, and smiled.

“you look better.” He commented.

“I feel better too. Thanks, for everything.” I said with a smile, and leaned against the wall. “Hey Sans?” I asked, determined.

“yeah?” He looked at me, with a confused smile.

“Are you okay?” I finally asked the question he hadn’t stopped asking me since the moment we met. He looked at me, and was silent, content a look on his face as if no one had ever asked him that before.

“today was a better day.” He finally said. I nodded, understanding, and went over to sit next to him on the bed. I smiled.

“Let someone take care of you,” I repeated his words from earlier. “Let me.”

He looked at me, slightly shocked, yet, in awe, as if I was something he had never seen before.

“no one ever…” He started, looking at his hands in his lap. “How?”

“No one picks up on what I do, unless…” I trailed off, not needing to finish. He knew.

We sat there, silent for a moment until he gave a hopeless laugh and flopped back onto the bed. I laid back too, my muscles calling me to rest, now that they were relaxed.

“stay?” He asked. I looked at him, question of what he meant burning in my eyes. “stay, so we can work this out together. be a mess together.”

I nodded and gave a soft smile. “For as long as you’ll have me.” He seemed to relax at my words, which made me… happy. I think.

“SANS!!” It sounded like Papyrus was in the room with us, though there was no evidence of this.

I jumped, yelling a curse, and sinking onto the floor, trying to calm my heart, with my head between my knees.

Sans was by my side in an instant, worry written clear on his face. I waved him off.

“Not an attack, just startled.” I panted out. “Go see what he wants and try to explain?” I offered.

“right. i’ll be back.” He said, standing and slipping out the door.

I breathed deeply through my mouth and leaned my head against his bed, letting my heart return to its normal rate. I could hear Papyrus’ staccato voice from downstairs faintly, but wasn’t really interested on the conversation.

I smiled. Sans wanted me here. He wanted me to stay, so we could help each other. I let out a joyful giggle. God, I must be extremely sleep deprived.

I slowly made my way back on to Sans’ bed, and laid on top of the covers, in the corner by the wall, and finally let myself stop, and slept. 

When I woke, who knows how many hours later, I was no longer atop of the covers. Instead, I was curled up under them, my fist gripping the blue quilt to my chest. I couldn’t remember whether I had done it myself, or if Sans had pulled the blanket over me. Deciding that it didn’t matter, I stretched, and threw the covers back, a suspicious thud happening as a result. I groaned and went to search for my phone.

Throwing it back onto the bed, once I had retrieved it from the floor, I ran my fingers through my hair and headed downstairs cautiously. I wasn’t sure if Papyrus was still home, which wasn’t the worst thing, but if Sans wasn’t home…

My anxiety was wasted when I reached the stairs and saw Sans, sprawled out on his back on the couch, fast asleep. I smiled. It made me happy that he was getting sleep. I was going to head back to his room when I smelled coffee coming from the kitchen, and the sizzle of something frying on the stove. Papyrus must be cooking, though the thought of the already energetic skeleton with coffee worried me.

I took a deep breath, and made my way to the kitchen, feeling bolder then I had been the day before around Sans’ brother. I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, and Papyrus noticed me.

“GOOD MORNING HUMAN.” Papyrus said, at a lower volume than normal, minding his sleeping brother.

“Mornin’ Paps,” I said, with a smile. The tall skeleton seemed at ease with me, as if I’d been a part of his morning routine for years. I was silently grateful, and wondered what Sans had said last night.

“SANS SAID THAT YOU WOULD NEED FOOD WHEN YOU WOKE UP, AND ALSO SUGGESTED THAT I MAKE YOU CAFFEINE! AND OF COURSE, I THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS UP TO THE NOBLE TASK!!” His lowered volume thrown out the window, replaced by his enthusiasm.

“Thanks.” I said, hugging my midriff, and leaning my head against the door jam. I watched as Papyrus cooked —eggs, by the looks of it—and relaxed. That sleep had really done me some good. I wasn’t as anxious around Papyrus, instead, I found him enthralling.

“mornin.” A tired voice said from behind me. I turned and found Sans, rubbing his eyes, making his way over to me. I smiled.

“Morning.” I said, a bit more cheerfully, though I worried whether Sans had gotten enough sleep or not. It looked more like not. I wasn’t going to ask him how he slept: it was a question of which a lie was a knee-jerk reaction. I gave him a soft look, and an encouraging half smile. It was morning, we made it through another night.

When breakfast was done, I leaned against the counter, with a cup of coffee in my hands, talking with Papyrus while he washed the dishes. He cheerfully turned me down when I offered to do them, and something inside me didn’t sit right that I wasn’t cleaning after a meal. He chatted on about his job, and puzzles, and friend Undyne, who taught him to cook. When I asked if I could meet her, Sans clenched his jaw, and shook his head.

Moments later, Papyrus dashed—literally— off to his puzzles, which left Sans and I alone in the house.

“What do you do during the day?” I asked, curling up in the corner of the couch.

“work, most days. gets the time to pass.” He said settling next to me.

“Why aren’t you at work now?” I asked raising my eyebrows. He gave a sheepish smile.

“kinda afraid to leave you here alone.” He admitted. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

“I can handle myself, Sans,” I pointed out. He looked down and nodded.

“i know you can. i do. but after last night…” He trailed off.

“Last night, when?” I wasn’t sure which part of last night he was referring to. He was silent, as if he was thinking about what to say, or how to word it. He finally sighed and gave up.

“You… didn’t fare well last night.” He said, holding my name softly as he said it. “You were tossing and turning all night, crying and mumbling in your sleep.” He said.

I looked down and bit my lip, but I couldn’t put it past myself to deny what he claimed.

“Sorry,” I whispered. He hadn’t slept well, because I didn’t sleep soundly.

“’sokay. the first time scared me though, you called my name in such a panic, but i realized that you were just dreaming, after that, i checked on you now and again, make sure you were covered, and okay. i wanted to wake you so many times, but…”

I closed my eyes and laid my head against the back of the couch.

“I’m so sorry Sans.” I sighed. “You’re probably exhausted.”

“i’ve had worse nights.”

“Doesn’t make me feel better.”

“you seem better,” He pointed out.

“Yeah, I feel less tense. More…”

“relaxed?” He supplied. I shook my head from side to side. The word wasn’t perfect, but it would do.

“Do you need more sleep, Sans?” I asked, looking over at him. I hated to think that he was up all night checking in on me because I was a broken human.

“nah, i was thinkin’ ‘bout takin’ you out to see the rest of the town. if you’re gonna be staying”—he looked at me, to which I nodded, that yes, I was staying—“then you might wanna see the rest of it here.”

It was a good idea, I had to admit. Though I knew that Sans needed sleep, the coffee I had keyed me up, so maybe sleeping wouldn’t be easy for him either with all that caffeine in his system. I thought about braving the cold again, and shivered—Sans noticed, and looked worried—but, I didn’t think the town was that big, and I knew I’d never be far from somewhere warm.

“Okay,” I started, “I’ll go out… if you take a nap this afternoon.” I bargained. He got a big smile on his face, as if he had won the lottery.

“deal,” He grinned. I felt like I was missing something. “so, you gonna go out like that?” He questioned, eyeing the attire that he had given me last night. I questioned his motive, and he could see it on my face. “just sayin, you might be cold.”

“I’ll go get ready then,” I said, getting up from the couch, putting my coffee mug along with Sans’ in the sink, rinsing them, the thing nagging in my chest finally left to resolve.

I headed upstairs and dug through my bag for the clothes I wore they day I fell. I’d need more clothes if I was going to stay. I wondered if they had a shop around here, and if I could manage to find something wearable. I changed quickly, and skipped to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth, and look somewhat presentable.

I found Sans sitting on his bed when I went back in to his room, lacing up a pair of Converse. Part of me wondered how those got down here. He looked up when I came back into the room, and smiled. He stood and picked up his jacket from the bed and handed it to me, to which I gave a pout.

“Don’t you get cold?” I asked.

“nah, i just wear it cuz its comfortable, and makes a good pillow for naps on the go.” He explained, as I took the jacket from his hands, still not putting it on.

“You don’t get cold?” I asked, with more interest. He shook his head. “But you’re always so warm!” I half-complained. It wasn’t fair.

“and you’re always cold, wear the jacket.” He half-scolded. “why are you always so cold?” He asked.

“It’s snowing outside?” I said if it were obvious. “I’m not used to it. I like sunny days and warm weather.” I sighed wistfully, wondering when the next time I’d see one of those days would be. I shrugged his jacket on. 

“well, okay, but even now, inside, your hands are cold, and you’re in socks.” He pointed out.

“Oh, it’s a low iron thing.” I explained, but he looked even more confused. So, I continued, “There’s low iron in my blood, so it has a few different side effects, of which includes my hands and feet being cold. But hey, it gets me out of having to donate blood.” I said lightly.

“huh. okay.” He said, handing me my phone, while I picked up my bag. “what else comes with it?” He asked as we walked downstairs.

“Uh, tiredness, I can’t grow my nails long, headaches…” I said, trying to remember. I didn’t really pay attention to why things happened to me, just how to get around them. My boots were still by the front door, so I leaned against the wall and slid them on.

We walked out the door, and Sans locked the door, as I stood out in the snow, silently cursing it. He led me into town and walked passed the library. That would be useful when I got bored, but I wondered what kind of books it had. I decided not to dwell. As we walked, everyone seemed to know Sans and gave greetings, which ensued introductions of who I was. All of the monsters seemed nice, none of them hostile.

Well, until Sans tensed up next to me, and grabbed my hand.

“Sans?” I asked, glancing around, trying to locate his source of anxiety.

He was cursing under his breath and leading me to the nearest building—which was Grillby’s, but not before…

“SANS!” An unfamiliar female voice bellowed, and I cringed. My eyes met a… fish woman…? She was a teal color, and had brilliant red hair—the artist in me noticed how the colors compliment each other—tied up into a ponytail. She was wearing armor, with an eyepatch that added to her fierceness. Her face was twisted into a snarl. “HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING HER!?” She accused, her voice aggressive and furious. She looked down right menacing. 

“undyne. walk. away.” Sans gritted out, his voice venomous, taking a step out in front of me, raising his arms protectively.

“How dare you!” Undyne snarled. “Seven! We need seven to be free, and you’re keeping her!  _ Protecting _ her! A  _ human _ !!” She spat.

“you’re not gonna touch her. i will not let you  _ kill _ her!” Sans roared.

Kill me? What did this fish lady want? Seven what? My head spun with answers I didn’t have. There was now a crowd around us, all watching anxiously. I wondered that, if it came down to it, whose side would they choose?

“You  _ know _ what they did.” She gritted. “You know what I have to do, and I’ll go  _ through _ you to do it.”

And with that, a bright teal spear appeared in her hands, and she crouched ready to attack. My heart raced. She was going to attack Sans; ‘go through him.’ I couldn’t let her. I called to my soul, and it hummed a response. It had power. I felt it. It purred in my thoughts, wanting to strike.

I watched as her arm coiled for her attack as Sans went on defense, but he never had the chance. My soul flooded with power, and golden flames flowed from my fingertips, like a river, and made a shield in front of Sans and me. He stepped back, surprised, as Undyne’s spear dissipated into nothing when it touched my golden flames.

I didn’t look at Sans, my eyes were locked onto Undyne, glaring. She roared in frustration and advanced. I went after her too, pulling my flames back to a smaller shield, and in my other hand…  well, to be honest, it looked like a lightsaber. It glowed a brilliant gold, and hummed with power in my hand. My soul seemed to take over, and knew how to fight with what I had created.

Undyne drew forth another spear and threw it at me, but again, it dissolved as soon as it touched the golden light of my shield. She roared in frustration, and I growled back. No one would touch Sans. She was soon close enough that I could actually use my sword-saber thing. I let my shield fade, and gripped the weapon with two hands, going to combat her blows with her spear that she wielded like a staff.

We danced and parried across the snow, switching from offense to defense, neither slowing, both snarling and glaring at another. My soul sang to the tune that my fury gave it. It was something beautiful.

Until…

I spun, and made a quick move with my weapon, and hers was flung across the snow. I panted and pointed the saber’s sharp and glowing tip to her chest. Hatred burned in her eyes. Something inside called to me, and reminded me of who I was. I wasn’t aggressive, nor a murder. I closed my eyes, and my soul responded to calming state, my beautiful weapon fading from my hands. I held my hands up, palms out, in peace, and took a step back.

“Please,” I whispered. “I don’t… I…” There were no words.

“Why didn’t you kill me? Finish it off, like the filthy human you are?” Undyne spat.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” I said softly, tears stinging my eyes. “Please,” I begged. “Just leave him alone.”

“Who?  _ Sans _ ?” She was suddenly confused. God, I didn’t know where Sans was, and I didn’t want to look, my eyes didn’t want to leave the fish woman in front of me. I nodded.

“You’re not gonna touch him. Not while I’m here.” I said determined. “Please, I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t want to fight.” I repeated.

Undyne relaxed from her on guard position, and looked at me, as if I baffled her. I felt fingers intertwined with mine, and I let out a breath of relief, though, I was afraid to face him. Surely he’d be horrified at what I had done, at what I could do. Surely he’d want me to leave. 

“she’s made her point, undyne.” He said, his voice hard and cold. “if you want an explanation, i will give you one, but if not, then  _ leave _ .” He snarled.

Undyne studied us both, and out entwined hands, and gave a small nod, signaling amity. I sagged in relief and closed my eyes, my legs giving out beneath me. The snow felt nice. I was so warm.

Sans called my name, worried, his phalanges tangling in my hair, holding my head in his lap. My eyes slowly opened at his constant calling, and my hand reached up to stroke his face, as I had longed to do so many times. My fingers brushed smooth bone that was radiating heat. He let out a hopeless laugh and held my hand to his face, then scooped me up into his arms. I laid my head on his shoulder, feeling very tired all of a sudden.

“no, come on, stay awake,” Sans coaxed, worry coloring his voice.

“But I’m tired.” I whined, nestling my head into his neck, embracing his warmth, closing my eyes. 

“too bad.” He grinned, and bounced me in his arms. “stay up.” 

“You’re mean to me.”

“just awful.” He teased, as I closed my eyes. 

Suddenly around us, the air was warmer, and it smelled like home. Sans stopped moving and suddenly I was in his lap. I looked around, and we were on his couch, in his home. My home. I kicked my shoes off and got comfortable. 

“her bag, green blanket.” Sans gave directions, but to who, I didn’t know, my eyes were closed. I felt something warm drape over me. It smelled like cinnamon and lavender. I yawned, and looked up at Sans. He smiled down at me. 

“sleep.” He told me. I wasn’t going to argue with that, though I was a little annoyed that he told me to sleep now when he was just telling me I couldn’t. I wondered what changed.

I tried to sleep. I really did. I was comfortable in Sans’ arms. I felt safe. I counted to a hundred over and over, and though it was normally enough to lull me to sleep, it wasn’t working now. My body was exhausted, but that stupid coffee kept my mind from resting. Minutes passed, and I just grew more anxious. I sighed, and opened my eyes. I wasn’t asleep, but Sans was. His head was leaned against the the back of the couch. He was snoring softly. I smiled. His arms were wrapped around me, cradling me to his chest, and I didn’t have the heart to move and wake him. I looked around the room, and my eyes fell on another figure in the room, leaning against the wall.

“Undyne,” I whispered softly. Her eye snapped open and stared me down. I shrinked back into Sans’ arms. She seemed to remember that I wasn’t the enemy, and softened her look. 

Sans shifted, and I was finally free enough to move out of his lap, regretfully. I stood and stretched. Oof. Everything hurt. I sighed, and draped the shawl that was over me over to Sans. He remained asleep. I headed to the kitchen, and heard Undyne follow. 

“Coffee?” I offered. Sans had shown me where everything was in the kitchen while Paps was making breakfast, and I knew the basics of a coffee pot. 

“No thanks.” She said curtly. I nodded, and decided to make some anyways, for Sans, when he got up, and myself, I was sapped of energy.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Undyne asked, after the coffee started brewing. 

“I… uh, I’ve never fought anyone before. Actually, it kinda surprised me.” I confessed. 

“You’ve never been in a fight before!?” Undyne exclaimed. I winced, then nodded. She eyed me. “Why do you shy away from yelling?” She prompted. I bit my lip and looked at the floor. “... or not.” She tacked onto the end.

I sighed. “I didn’t have the best childhood.” Was all that I could come up with. I poured a cup of the hot coffee, and hopped up onto the counter, sitting, facing Undyne who was leaning against the opposite wall. She was no longer wearing her armor, but instead a black tank top, and jeans paired with combat boots. 

“How long have you been here?” She asked. 

“Three days? Give or take.” I said, trying to make sense of days with no sun to measure them with. Had it only been three days? She was silent for a while. I worried my lip, and focused on finishing off my coffee. 

“Can I ask something?” I finally got the courage to question her. She gave a small nod. “What did you mean by seven? Earlier…” I said, looking at the floor again. 

“Our king, Asgore, needs seven human souls to take down the barrier, so that we can all be free.” She said, each word precise. “He has six.” 

I thought back to what Sans had said. I wasn’t the first. There were others before me. Kids, that were… gone. I shuddered at the thought. I hadn’t realized. 

“He wants to kill me for my soul.” I said blatantly. Undyne nodded. “How does that even work? The soul thing?” I wondered aloud. My grandfather never went into specifics with the barrier, or souls, so I always lived in wonder. 

“Human souls are extremely powerful, yet they normally don’t wield magic like yours, not for a long time. Seven humans put up the barrier. Seven souls will take it down… if a monster and human souls’ powers are combined, they were unstoppable.” She explained. 

“Wait? Magic? My soul?” I sputtered out. Undyne laughed. 

“Yeah, nerd. I’ve never seen another human do what you just did to that magnitude. It was impressive.” She said grinning. “How did you do it?” She asked. 

“I don’t know. I knew I wouldn’t let you hurt him, and my soul… agreed. It just kinda happened.” I shrugged. 

“Well, it was wicked cool.” Undyne said. 

“Thanks, I think.” I said smiling. It wasn’t exactly friendship, but, at least we weren’t trying to kill each other. 

“So you and Sans?” She asked, raising her eyebrow. I looked out the kitchen door, at him asleep on the couch, and shrugged. He looked so peaceful asleep. I smiled. “I’ve never seen Sans act like that before.” Undyne told me. “He normally keeps to himself, if he ever leaves the house. Papyrus worries about him a lot.” 

I worried my lip and nodded. Papyrus may seem young, but I didn’t doubt for a second that he didn’t pick up on his brothers habits. I bet if my parents weren’t so concerned about my brother all the time, they would have picked up on mine too. At least I hoped that they would have. I huffed at the thought when I heard my name called in panic. Sans was up. 

“In here!” I called, and he appeared beside me, through a doorway, ready for a fight. I gave him a smile and offered him some coffee innocently. He rubbed his face and let out a little laugh, and accepted the mug from my hands, leaning against the counter beside me. 

“Sorry.” I said. “Guess I should have woken you. You just looked so comfortable, and you were finally getting sleep.” I sighed wistfully. 

“‘s’okay.” He said, draining the cup faster than I thought possible. His eyes scanned over me, and I knew that he was making sure I was alright. Deciding that I was okay enough, he relaxed. With him next to me, I grew warm, and shrugged off his jacket, holding it in my lap. Sans chatted with Undyne about how Papyrus was doing, not bringing up what happened, as if there was an agreement between him and Undyne not to mention it. 

I absentmindedly hopped of the counter and started cleaning up the mugs, and cleaning out the coffee maker, humming. It felt good to clean. Glancing at the clock—yes, they had one, and it seemed to be on the same time as my internal clock—I saw the hands were inching their way towards noon. I bit my lip. I really should eat about now, but I wasn’t hungry, Sans probably wasn’t either. 

“hungry?” He asked me, as if he followed my train of thought. I shook my head, and wrapped my arms around myself. 

“Well, I am.” Undyne said enthusiastically. “And Paps should be home soon. He’ll be hungry.” She said, rifling through the fridge. I wondered how long she been friends with Papyrus, to be no longer a guest, but a part of the household when she was over. She began piling ingredients on the counter, to what looked like… sushi? Did that count as cannibalism? Sans nudged my shoulder and broke my train of thought on how that worked. 

“still wanna see the town?” He asked in a low voice. Part of me worried that we’d be leaving Undyne here alone, but Sans wouldn’t have suggested it unless he trusted her. I guess I would then, too. 

“Yeah, we can go out.” I said leaning against the counter, watching Undyne work. It was mesmerizing. Sans studied me. 

“you sure?” He asked, hesitantly. “we don’t have to.” 

“No, no. We can. I wanted to see if there was a shop in town anyway.” I said, picking his jacket off the counter and shrugging it on, and zipping it up halfway.

“yeah, there’s one. we can go there.” He nodded, still studying me, I tried to ignore his heavy gaze, and escaped to the couch to slip on my boots again. My bag was on the table, so I made my way over to get it. Sans was waiting for me at the door.

We walked back out into the snow, except this time it didn’t bother me as much, as Sans’ fingers were again intertwined with mine, grounding me to reality and keeping my nerves under wraps. He didn’t say anything about it, and neither did I. It just was. It was us. Whatever that was. 

  
  
  


The shop wasn’t far passed Grillby’s. The bell above the door signaled our entry. The shop was run by a rabbit monster, who reminded me of one of Peter Rabbit’s sisters. I struggled to remember their names. She said that everything was half-off, and to look at anything we wanted.

I looked around, and immediately headed towards the promises of what looked like clothes. Each piece was long-sleeved, or fur lined. I began rifling through the clothes, and grabbed a couple sweaters, another pair of jeans, and a cream knitted beanie.

Sans was beside me all the while, being quiet, observing me. It made me a little self conscious. I was used to shopping alone. We milled around the store, which seemed to have a little bit of everything. I couldn’t think of anything else that I one hundred percent needed at the moment, so I walked over to the register, as the kind rabbit lady—whose name tag read Cassandra—started ringing up the clothes, I dug through my bag for the gold pieces that I had been collecting, but before I could find them, Sans was there, paying for me. I glared at him. 

“I can do it myself.” I said flatly. 

“i know.” Was all he said, with a lazy grin on his face, which annoyed me to no end. 

I huffed, and took the bag, that had my new clothes in it, and thanked Cassandra, and stalked out of the store, fuming. Sans kept my stride quite easily, smiling to himself, as if my annoyance amused him. I stopped abruptly. Sans stopped, a step later and turned to face me, confusion on his face.

For some reason, what he had done had really gotten under my skin. I was grateful, yes, but something about it didn’t sit well. Sans seemed to know. He always somehow knew. He called my name softly, placing his hands on my arms, making me look at him. 

“i’m sorry.” He said earnestly. “i shouldn’t have.” He sighed. I shook my head. 

“It’s… fine.” I decided. 

“it’s obviously not.” He pointed out. 

I sighed. “It’s just different. I’m used to being on my own. Doing everything myself. Because I can.” I worked through out loud. 

“i’m not saying you’re not capable.” He insisted.

“I know that.” 

“i won’t do it anymore, i’m sorry.” He said, dropping his hands looking down. I gave him a smile and grabbed his hand. 

“Just ask me first. I don’t mind compromise.” I reasoned. “I’m not used to not being on my own.”

He nodded. We walked home in thoughtful silence. I planned to unpack when we got back. No use keeping everything with me all the time. I had a new home. It was time I acted like it. 

Arriving to said home, I heard both Papyrus and Undyne in the kitchen, eating, maybe still cooking. They seemed to share that hobby. We made our presence known, then headed upstairs. In his room, I folded my new clothes into a pile, then I went to my bag, and slowly took everything out, and laid it before me: the clothes I folded; Toriel’s shawl, I sighed at and hung on Sans’ door; as for the toothbrush, along with my brush, they went to the bathroom, as did the small first-aid kit. All that was left, was the two phones. Mine and Toriel’s. I sighed at them and pocketed mine, and set Toriel’s on the dresser.

“you miss her,” Sans said softly. I nodded. 

“Is it that obvious?” 

He smiled and gave a little shrug.  

“your soul gives it away, most the time anyways.” He said. I turned and looked at him. He was hanging my clothes in his closet, not realizing that what he said had been new to me.

“My soul?” I asked. It was still fresh that I even had one, and yet he mentioned it so casually, as if it were as common as having a heart or brain. Down here, maybe it was. He seemed to pick up on my confusion as well. He smiled, and sat on his bed, and beckoned me over to sit next to him, so I did. He began explaining:

“monsters are taught when they’re little, that they have a soul, and that’s their source of magic. they are then taught how to use and wield their magic. some enjoy it, and embrace their magic, others, just let it fade, it’s still there, just not as honed as it could be. souls are what make up a monsters being, it’s who they are.”

“Is that why you can read my emotions so well?” I asked, absorbing all of the new information, trying to piece it together. He chuckled and shook his head. 

“not quite. see, human souls are different. they aren’t used as much, unless in combat with a monster. they aren’t the best at using magic, and are often overlooked.” He looked at his hands that rested in his lap. “your soul is not like anything i’ve ever seen before.”

“Is something wrong with me?” I asked, worried. 

He laughed. “no, no, not at all.” He sighed softly. “i can sense your soul constantly. your emotions, are… well, they call to me, really. i can always see how different things make you feel, and how you respond to them.”

“Is that normal? For monsters to be able to do?”

“not really. i’ve only heard of it once before, from legends. they say that the king and queen’s hearts called to each others like that.” He said with melancholy. I studied him, feeling like I was missing something. He glanced up at me, and gave a quick smile. “i’ve never seen a soul like yours before. in color or ability.” He sounded proud, but there was a sadness in his eyes, something that I couldn’t place. 

“Undyne said she had never before seen any human do what I did… earlier.” I said, looking down.

“i don’t think anyone has. not from a human at least.” 

“Is there something wrong with me?” I asked again, not knowing how to feel about being different.

“not even close. the way your soul responded to you, the way you fought earlier, it was… amazing. i have never seen anyone fight so, elegantly.” 

I rolled my eyes and he chuckled. 

He could see my soul, and he knew how I was feeling all the time. He said I was different, elegant, something he had never seen before. I weighed all of these things, and decided that they were good things. I still wondered and worried about the sadness in his voice, and what it was derived from. 

I thought about his soul, and what it would look like. What it would be like to know how he was feeling, all the time, to be so attuned to something so pure. For a moment, I didn’t have to wonder. It seemed with all the walls I had built in my mind to keep others out, were down in that moment, and a glimpse of something brilliant, beautiful, and blue, flashed into my vision, and my thoughts. His feelings echoing in my mind, as if they were part of my subconscious, but all in his gentle voice. I barely caught any of it, but it was a sense of longing, worry, pride, anxiety, and… love, all at once.

Love. 

The thought of it made me slam my inner walls back down. His soul was gone, as was his voice in my head.

 

“The Mages sealed the monsters underground, for eternity. Only the power of love, they say, could overcome such a barrier.”

 

My grandfather’s voice echoed in my mind. The power of love. 

I wanted to shy away from the idea. To protect myself from being vulnerable, from the chance of hurt by someone else, being left by someone else. Love was a silly illusion people spoke of. Love was… uncharted waters to me. 

“are you okay?” He asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I blinked, and recovered. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Just… thinking.” I said, truthfully. 

“m’kay, cuz you’re reading as both confused and determined right now, and that’s a little bit of a mixed signal.” He pointed out with a crooked smile. 

“That’s gonna be weird. That you know what I’m feeling all the time.” I said, mostly to myself. 

I had hidden my emotions for so long, from everyone, and here he was, and he knew all of them. Even knowing all of them, he didn’t push me away, or tell me I was wrong. He allowed, and welcomed, each of my feelings, not calling them wrong, or stupid. It was something I never had before. He was someone I never had before. 

Sans called my name, and I blinked, lost deep in thought. He must have said something that I missed. Whoops. I gave a sheepish smile and waited for him to continue. He started again. 

“do you want me to? i know it’s sorta invasive. i... could stop…” He sounded glum at the thought, like ignoring my soul was taking something away from him. 

“No,” I decided, “I trust you, and, I don’t want to take that away from you either. You said it was almost unheard of, and I don’t want to take something like that away…” My voice was barely a whisper. I couldn’t be that selfish, and I wouldn’t be, not with him. 

“SANS!” Papyrus called from the other side of the door. His voice didn’t startle me as much as it had in the beginning. I didn’t know why, nor did I really want to think about it. “UNDYNE HAS INVITED US TO DINNER AT HER HOUSE!!” He announced with no lack of enthusiasm. 

Sans’ eyes flashed to me. “are you okay to go?” He asked, worried.

I nodded. There was no reason I couldn’t.

“Yeah, sure.” I said, probably a little less enthusiastic than Sans would have liked. 

“you can say no, you know that right?” 

I nodded again. Sure I could say it, but that didn’t mean I liked to. The day seemed longer than I thought if it was only dinner time. I frowned. 

“you’re confused?”

“Long day?” I offered, pulling on my boots.

“we really don’t have to go.” He must have thought that I wasn’t paying enough attention, because he called my name so that I would look at him. “i’m serious, you won’t hurt any feelings, Paps can go alone, he does most days anyways.”

I thought it over.  Part of me wanted to stay home, and just be warm, but going out would keep my mind busy for the time being until later tonight, when I could really think. Probably cry and question life too, but mostly think. 

“Sans,” I said his name carefully, “I want to go,” I still worried my lip, thinking. 

“tell me as soon as you want to leave?” He almost pleaded. I nodded and picked up his jacket, getting ready to fare the cold that was outside the comfort of his home, but he shook his head at me. 

“What?” I complained. I liked the jacket, and it kept me warm. 

“you don’t need it. undyne doesn’t live in snowdin.” He said. I didn’t have to tell him I was confused. He knew I was, but he smiled anyways and led me downstairs, to… no one?

“Did they already leave?” I asked, trying to count the minutes from when Paps had given the invitation. It couldn’t have been that long ago? Could it?

“yeah,” He looked at me. “do you feel like walking? or would you rather a shortcut.” 

My mother’s words screamed in my head: ‘if you’re not early—you’re late!’

“Shortcut.” I said quickly, silencing the voice in my head as soon as possible. Sans eyed me dubiously, then reached out, and opened a neat doorway. From the other side I could feel the humidity, it made me think of home— no, what was my home, once upon a time. 

I took a step through the doorway, to somewhere that looked a lot more cave-like, but one that you would see in some exotic location, with gems embedded into the walls and ceiling. I laughed when I saw Undyne’s house. 

“what?” Sans asked, stepping through the door behind me. 

“Her house…” I wheezed, “is a giant fish… isn’t that a little, ironic?” I laughed. Sans looked at me like I was crazy. I rubbed my face and took deep breaths. Today had been too much, and now this. Shrugging, Sans stepped around me and opened the door, without knocking, and I followed, feeling out of place. 

The first thing I saw was the piano, gorgeous and glossy black. I gasped, and took a baby step back. Sans was instantly at my side, his hand on my shoulder, the other in my hand.

“Dude, are you okay?” Undyne asked, leaving the stove, coming over to us. Sans looked to me for an answer. 

I was okay. Right? It was okay. 

“Yeah,” I said as soon as my voice started working. “I’m okay.” They didn’t looked convinced. I sighed. “Your piano is beautiful Undyne.” I said softly. 

“You play!?” She exclaimed. I gave a small shrug and smiled. 

“Yeah,”

Sans took his hand off my shoulder, but I held onto the one intertwined with mine. Again, he was an anchor. An anchor: to my reality, to right here and now, to him, to freedom. 

“Well then you gotta play!” Undyne demanded with a wicked grin. 

“not tonight.” Sans retorted curtly, giving Undyne a look that quieted her. It was some look. 

“No, Sans, it’s… it’s okay. I can play.” I spoke, my voice disjointed, robotic. 

No doubt he could see the hurt and pain in my soul, from just looking at the piano. How was I supposed to explain to him, to Undyne, that I hadn’t touched the delicate keys of the beautiful instrument since my grandfather had died? He was the reason I played, along with many other things I did, he was the reason. With him gone, I no longer saw a reason to try. Every time I tried to sit down and play on my own, I never made it past the first few notes before it became too much to handle. 

But, I had a reason now. I had Sans, and Papyrus, and Undyne. I had Sans. 

I walked over to the grand piano, and sat on the bench, gently running my fingers over the keys, feeling their smoothness under my touch. My hands rested in the proper position, and I closed my eyes. I blocked out the world. I blocked out Sans standing next to me. I blocked Undyne’s and Papyrus’ stares. I blocked out everything. Everything, but the keys beneath my fingertips, and the sound resonating from the stretched strings, as my fingers triggered the hammers to make the hum for me. 

I let myself fall into one of my favorite pieces— _ The Heart Asks Pleasure First _ , by Michael Nyman—becoming a captive to its strong harmony, giving into its yearning melody. I let go, and gave into the music. My music. His music. I could see my grandfather before me, beaming with pride as I played for him, singing to my hymns, watching me as I played. The more I played, the more I could see his face, hear his laughter, and remember his smile. My fingers danced as the song faded, and I began another one, not wanting him to fade from my memory. I wanted to hold onto him. Just for a little while longer, no matter how much it would tear me apart later. 

My heart ached as I began to play  _ Bella’s Lullaby,  _ my mind wandering to a simpler time, to a simpler me, where I believed in fairy tales, and that prince charming would save me. To a place of stories, and books, that would hide me in their worlds, and keep me safe from the nightmares around me. It took me back. 

One of my fingers faltered in their dance, and my eyes snapped open. I banged on the piano in frustration and hid my face in my hands, trying to… What was I trying to do?

I felt arms wrap around me from behind, rubbing my arms. I was crying. Why was I crying? When had I started? I felt one of the arms disappear, and suddenly, I was cradled in his arms, being held close, laying down somewhere comfortable. 

Sans held me to his chest, rubbing my back, whispering soft words of encouragement, as I ruined his shirt with my salt water tears. He didn’t ask questions, he didn’t tell me to stop crying. To stop making a mountain out of a molehill. He just held me. 

I seemed to run out of tears sooner than I thought. My throat was raw, and my eyes stung. I rubbed my face, and Sans’ arms loosened, letting me move, his hands laying gently on my waist, studying me. I gave a hopeless smile, and hid my face in my hands, sitting up. I could feel him move, he was sitting across from me. 

“I’ve made your life such a mess.” I whispered, my voice hoarse. 

“no you didn’t.” He denied. 

I shook my head. I wasn’t convinced. “I came here, crying and fighting, and scared. I can barely hold myself together. I’ve kept you up all night, and you constantly have to look after me. I… I’m sorry. I can leave… I’ll leave,” Tears stung my eyes and pain riddled my voice. 

He didn’t say anything. I was afraid to look up at him I was waiting for him to tell me to leave. That he didn’t want me there. That I was just a screw up he didn’t need to deal with. I recoiled, and waited for it. 

But it never came.

“no. you’re staying. right here. with me.” He said defiantly and commandingly. I shook my head, but his hands were suddenly holding it in place. His hands were warm, and his thumbs gently brushed away stray tears. “you’re staying.” He repeated, his voice hoarse. As if he were afraid of me leaving. 

Something happened inside me. I couldn’t tell what, but it no longer felt as if it were me against the world. He was telling me that I was staying in his. Being a part of his world, where he wanted me. He wanted me to stay. 

“open your eyes,” He said softly, taking my hands. 

I opened my eyes, slowly, first looking at our intertwined hands, pale flesh against polished bone, but something caught my eye.

Something beautiful and blue, resonating within his chest. I blinked, waiting for it to leave my sight, but it was still there. I glanced up at Sans, his expression was so gentle, so kind. A soft smile lay on his face. I looked at him, my lips parted slightly, in awe of what I saw. He gave me a small nod, as if he knew I could see his soul. 

His emotions slowly made themselves known in my mind, flowing in slowly like a stream. 

He was in awe, as I was. Slowly, like a swirling ocean wave, his emotions came to me: joy, hope, gentleness, admiration, euphoria. But like a wave, they drew back, and I saw what was underneath, the less prominent emotions that enamored his soul: fear, doubt, anxiety, depression, but fear, so much fear. 

He was so afraid. Of losing his brother, of waking up and everything he knew being gone, of being trapped like an animal underground forever with no escape. He was afraid… afraid of losing me…but this fear wasn’t alone, it was tangled with something deeper, something much more powerful.

Love. 

Love washed over every other emotion, and filled in the cracks, the ragged edges. It was love for his friends, his brother, for… me. 

“Sans,” I whispered softly. 

His emotions shifted again. He was thinking of me. As if I was an emotion all on my own. They all melded together: protectiveness, loyalty, fear, gentleness, humor, longing, peace, and love. 

My hand slowly reached out to touch the brilliant blue in front of me. It reached out to something concrete. To know that this was real. I had to know that this was real. That someone loved me for me. Brokenness and all. His emotions were here and sudden, and things that I was so scared of letting myself feel, but longed for all the same. I wanted this to be real. I wanted this to be true.

I hesitated, afraid of hurting the beautiful glow before me, but Sans’ hand ran up my arm, and guided my fingertips to his soul. 

I gently laid my fingers on the glow, as softly as I would caresses the keys on my great-grandmother’s piano. 

And I knew the truth. 

 

They say that the soul is what makes a person; that it’s who they are. The soul holds everything: every memory, every joy, every pain. Some moments are held dearer than others, but they are all there. Deep inside a person, residing, making a person who they are. 

The moments they hold closer shine through, and determine their course of action. Their morals, if you will. 

My grandfather told me to guard my soul, to keep it safe. 

 

“There are monsters in this world,” He’d say. “They’ll try to damage your soul, keep you from who you’re meant to be. Hold onto what you believe is most dear. Hold it tight and don’t let it go.” 

 

I held onto my grandfather. I held onto the shining moments of my childhood, those moments when everything was okay. I clung to them for dear life, when life didn’t look like it was worth living. Believing, praying, that they would come back. Those moments brought me this far. 

But… what if someone didn’t have those moments to hold onto?


	4. Not Today

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my sugar blossoms.  
> How are you?  
> How was your day?  
> Comic con was a blast. Schools coming soon. 
> 
> Here are my babies in some angsty fluff. 
> 
> I love you guys so much

Sans held onto three things.

  
Three.

  
No more, no less.

  
One, Papyrus. Oh, how he adored his brother. Through Sans’ eyes, the taller skeleton was an intelligent, kind, innocent little brother, to look after; someone who made friends with anyone and everyone, never faltering in showing compassion, and despite Papyrus’ incredible strength, he’d never hurt anyone. He feared for his little brother to become anything but who he was already. He feared of losing his little brother. God, Sans gave everything up for Papyrus. That explained the three jobs he worked, to give Papyrus anything he wanted, because his little brother was all he had left. Sans held onto Papyrus, with almost everything he had.

  
Two: his father. W.D. Gaster. Sans’ thoughts recoiled around this man. This thing. This man was the reason he and Paps were on their own. Why they were trapped with no escape. Sans blamed this monster for the barrier, with memories that he barely clung to. With half words, and glimpses of things he couldn’t quite remember. This man terrified Sans. Terrified that he would come back, that Gaster would take everything away, and treat him like the errant child his father convinced him he was. He remembered and held onto every insult and tearing down word. Sans clung to those words.

  
Three… me. Sans held onto the first memory he had of me. It wasn’t my face, no, it was Toriel’s soft voice, asking him to take care of me, and his promise to do it. He remembered seeing my soul for the first time, and being confused, because nothing like that had ever happened to him before, and he knew everyone in the Underground. He remembered following me through the snow, watching me, protecting me, studying my soul, trying to figure out why. He needed me there with him. He held onto the time I asked him if he was okay, because I was some random human, who showed up, and could see right through his charade, in a matter of hours.

  
We had only just met, but he held onto me, the way he held onto Papyrus. He was confused as to why he did, why I was so different, and made him feel this way. He worried if I felt the same. If he’d say something and I’d decide to leave him. He didn’t want me to leave. Sans wanted me to stay, so that he could figure out why I was different, and why my soul called to him, why he loved me, despite knowing me two days.

  
His soul held onto those things: the pain, the fear, the worry, the things that were deep seeded in his soul, like daggers, tearing him apart. Yet, that wasn’t the only thing his soul held to. There was hope, and joy, and newly found love. God, he was so curious, and funny, and insanely smart, wanting answers, and figuring out possibilities that I couldn’t dream to think of.

  
His soul called to mine. Needing it. Welcoming it.  
  
My hand slowly sank into his lap, and my eyes came into focus. His expression matched mine. It was peaceful, calm, and understanding. I ran my fingers over his, taking his hand. I studied it, carefully, as if it were a work of art. It was as beautiful as if it were. Each of his fingers a collection of polished, white bones, held together by who knows what. My fingers ran up his radius, marveling at it. I was no longer afraid of running my fingers over him, as I was before. In that moment, there were no walls between us, no barriers holding us back.  
I looked up at him, as my fingers made their way back down to his hand, and held it. His eyes were closed, and expression calm, all the worry and anxiety seeming to fade to nothing. I used my other hand to reach up and gently trace his jaw, it was radiating heat beneath my fingers. My hand moved up to his cheek bone, and it delicately traced his brow bone. His fingers, warm on my skin, making me shiver, traced up to my hand, and gently held it and kissed it softly with lips I couldn’t see.

  
“SANS?” Papyrus pulled us from our trance, knocking softly on his brother’s door.

  
Sans let out an annoyed growl, gave my hand another soft kiss, then let me go, and went to see what his brother wanted. I watched him go, not thinking about much other than him, and how nice it felt to have my walls down for someone I knew wouldn’t hurt me.  
I stood, and went to gathering clothes for bed, debating on a shower, when Sans came back, and took my hand, drawing my attention. I gave him a warm smile.  
“What did he want?” I asked softly nodding to the door.

  
“to know if you were okay. undyne was mad at herself for making you play.” He explained.

  
“Wasn’t her fault. It felt good, actually, to play again. I missed it. A lot. So, I should really thank her.” I thought aloud. Sans let out a small laugh.

  
“you’re somethin’ else, ya know that?”

  
“So you say,” I drawled.

  
He rolled his eyes, the little white balls of light in his eyes moving the way my iris’ would. They fascinated me, as did most of him. I went back to gathering my things, and went off to a quick shower. Papyrus caught me in the hall on the way back, and tried to apologize. Seeing the way Paps the way Sans did, gave me a new perspective on brothers, and the tall skeleton before me.

  
“I’M SORRY THAT PLAYING THE PIANO UPSET YOU HUMAN!” He apologized. “YOU DO PLAY BEAUTIFULLY THOUGH!”

  
I smiled. “Thanks, Paps. I’ve been playing a while.” I said, thinking back to all the weeks I spent agonizing over getting songs perfect for my lessons. It was a good memory.

  
“I KNOW MY BROTHER ENJOYED WATCHING YOU PLAY! HE IS VERY PROTECTIVE OF YOU!” Papyrus stated. I gave a small laugh. The tall skeleton was quite enjoyable, now that I had a different view. “WHICH I GUESS IS A GOOD THING, BECAUSE I WOULD NOT WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO YOU! YOU MAKE MY BROTHER HAPPY AND THAT IS NOT SOMETHING I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME!”

  
“I know Paps,” I said softly. “I’m glad I make him happy too.”

  
And with that he bid me a good night, and dashed off to his room. A smile played at my lips as I walked back into Sans’ room. He had changed into what I was in: grey sweats, and a white t-shirt. It looked like as if he were waiting for me to come back, and maybe he was.  
I curled up on the bed, beside where he was sitting. He started to stand, to leave presumably, but I caught his hand.

  
“Stay,” I asked. He turned and studied me. “Will you stay with me tonight?” I asked, my voice wavering. He gave me an unsure smile and sat back down on the bed beside me.

  
“are you sure?” He asked.

  
I nodded. I wanted him there. Maybe I would sleep better with him beside me. Maybe he would sleep better. The bed was big enough for the both of us, and it seemed as if we needed another.

  
He shifted, and laid under the cover beside me, not sure of what to do, I could read it in his soul, and posture. So, I moved closer to him, moving his arm to around my shoulders, laying my head on his chest. He laid frozen for a moment, then relaxed and closed his eyes, rubbing my shoulder with gently strokes of his thumb. The repetitive movement lulled me to sleep faster than counting ever had.

  
I awoke from a dreamless sleep, alone. It had to be some time in the middle of the night, or really early morning. The blanket beside me was still warm, so Sans couldn’t have been gone long, but then again, he radiated heat a lot more than anyone I’ve met.

  
I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the drowsiness and regretfully made my way out of the bed to look for him. I crept downstairs, carefully, in the dark, but he wasn’t down there. A small part of me thought that he’d gone out into the snowy night, but it didn’t seem like something he would do.

  
Thinking about earlier events of the evening, and knowing his soul, I closed my eyes and tried to find it. I could feel it, his soul, faintly, from upstairs. I followed the pull, and headed back up the stairs, catching my toe on the railing and taking a moment to curse silently, letting the pain pass. I continued to let Sans’ soul pull and guide me to him. It led my back into his room, and to the sliders to the balcony.

  
I had forgotten that his room even had the balcony. Sure enough, he was out there, leaning against the railing looking out into the vastness before him. I slowly slid the glass door open, and stepped out into the winter night. He didn’t turn, he knew it was me. His soul read as confused, as if there were to many questions and not enough answers.

  
I went and leaned on the railing beside him, looking at, well, it was too dark to see anything. My heart longed for the starry nights I used to have, sitting by a bonfire. I wanted a night like that back. No more snow, or barriers, or monsters trying to kill me. I sighed and leaned closer to Sans, our shoulders touching. It was cold, the night air making the hair on my arms stand, but as always, Sans provided a shield of heat against the chilly night.

  
He didn’t say anything, but he did move closer to me, taking my hand in his, his polished smooth bones wrapped in my worn fingers, holding them gently. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, and let myself have this moment with him. His soul seemed calmer with me by his side, all of the questions seeming to fade. Well, all except one that slipped from his lips.

  
“why are you sad?” He asked, tightening his fingers on mine.

  
“Sad?” I questioned. I was content, with him.

  
“when you came out here, you looked out, and your soul light faded.”

  
“I miss the stars.” I whispered. “They were always my favorite thing. The different constellations…” I vaguely gesturing with my hands.

  
He simply nodded.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about do you?” I smiled a little.

  
“not really.” He admitted.

  
“I think you’d like the stars. They’re really pretty in places without artificial lights.” I shivered slightly, the cold seeping into my skin. Of course, Sans noticed.

  
“let’s get you in before you—”

  
“—if you finish that sentence will ‘chilled to the bone’ I’m gonna…” I trailed of my threat, knowing I wouldn’t really do anything. He seemed to know that too, and laughed, walking inside, trailing me behind him.

  
The warmth of his room more than welcomed me, and made my eyes water a little. I yawned and covered my mouth with the back of my hand. Sans sat back on the bed, and held the covers up for me, inviting me in. I accepted the invitation gladly, crawling into the warmth, curling up by his side. I wondered what kept him up at night, and why he was up tonight. I couldn’t blame him for being up, but my thoughts still wondered why.

  
“thinking about how to keep asgore away from you.” He answered my unspoken questions.  
“Asgore?” I asked, settling back down onto his chest as I had before. He wrapped his arm around me again, and clasped his hands together holding me to him. I gently ran my fingers over his chest, tracing his ribs.

  
“our king. well, supposedly. he doesn’t act like much of a king…” Sans trailed off.  
“Undyne said that he, uh… collected the souls of six other kids.” I said tactfully. Sans snorted and I gave a small smile. “That seven human souls would take down the barrier when combined with a monster soul.” I frowned. “Wouldn’t he need seven monster souls to pair with the human ones? Can they pair with anyone?” I wondered out loud.

  
“uh, you seem really cool with this?” He asked, eyeing me dubiously. I shrugged. “you know he killed those kids, right? or had the royal guard do it.” He tacked on. I sat up, and he did to, shifting the pillows so that we were comfortable.

  
“I know, but I’m not afraid, and… what’s done is done...” I said looking down. “And if it gets you out…”

  
“no. you’re not… no.” He said my name, drawing my attention up to his eyes. “freeing us, that’s not on you. or anyone. do you understand me?” He prompted, his soul flaring with defiance and protectiveness. I nodded.

  
“I want to help…” I said, looking down as his hand took mine.

   
“you’re not putting yourself in harm’s way. not while i’m here.”

  
I nodded and laid my head on his shoulder.

  
“Does Asgore come here often?” I asked. With each monster I talked to, the Underground seemed to become a bigger place than I had thought.

  
“not unless he has reason to, but i can’t say that rumors haven’t been flying that there’s another human in the underground.” He said flatly. I took a breath, and Sans pulled me closer. “he’s not going to get to you,” He promised.

  
“Why is everyone afraid of me?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. I knew that Sans would give me a straight answer.

  
“after your showing of magic earlier, a lot of monsters fear the mages that trapped us under here, not that any of them are old enough to remember, but stories pass down, legends, myths…”

  
“Like you remember?” I scoffed. He didn’t comment. My eyes got wide as I looked up at him. “Sans…” I asked, staring at him. He laughed. I gave him a look.

  
“sorry, sorry, just the look on your face.” His frame shook with his laughter. He took a breath and explained. “monsters we grow, and age different than humans do. technically we’re immortal—”

  
“—What!?” I demanded.

  
“are you gonna let me finish?” He asked with a smirk. I huffed and folded my arms, waiting for his explanation. “monsters are made of mostly magic, not blood and bone like you are, well, all humans really. anyway, we age, until what humans would call young adults, the exact age varying from monster to monster, then we just stop, aging.” He explained. I tried to wrap my head around it. Something sounded familiar about it, but I couldn’t place it.

  
“So, you just live forever?” I asked. “Is the only way to die to be killed?” It was kinda morbid.

  
“no, no,” He corrected me. “we can grow old, if we choose to. monsters believe in soul mates, and normally a monster will look for their mate, and grow old with them.” He explained. I smiled.

  
“That’s sweet.” I commented.

  
“yeah,” He said with melancholy. I looked up at him.

  
“You haven’t found them yet.”

  
He didn’t comment, which I guess gave me my answer, but part of me wondered if I was… I shook my head.

  
I wasn’t going to finish the thought. Someone like me, couldn’t possible deserve someone like him, forever. Could I?

  
“undyne was right though,” He said, this time oblivious to my thoughts, or maybe leaving me to them, “i haven’t seen a soul wield magic like yours in a long time.” His voice was barely a whisper. He looked over at me. “do you think you could do it again?” He asked, warily.

  
“Are you, afraid of me?” I asked, the question burning my tongue with fear.

  
“no, not at all.” He smirked. “i could totally take you.” He grinned. I laughed.

  
“Uhuh, okay Mr. Tough Guy.” I rolled my eyes, smiling at him.

  
I worked on his request, of if I could so magic again. I knew where my soul was, nestled safely in my chest, so I called to it. It responded with ease, providing warmth, as the power ran from my chest down my arms and finally to my fingertips. The golden flames, again, made themselves know in my hand, creating a delicate sphere of light. I stared at it, in awe, and ran my other hand over it, yet, instead of being able to touch it, the ball of light simply changed hands. I marveled at it. I gently let it fade, and allowed little wisps of gold to reside.

  
I wasn’t surprised when Sans reached out, his hand glowing a slight blue, and intertwined his fingers in my hands. The magic crackling softly from his bones made my skin hum. I stretched my fingers out, letting out hands splay out, watching them; his gently blue glow intertwining with my bright golden flame. It was beautiful to watch, the colors, never mixing, never muddying each other. They interacted as if they belonged.  
Sans called my name softly, and I looked up from our hands, into his eyes. Our hands fell into the space between us. I yawned again, and he smiled, and opened his arms. I curled up in them, content, and safe, closing my eyes and letting sleep take me into the beyond.  
  
This time, I had a dream.  
The words of the conversation I had with Sans sank into my mind. And it created a dark image in my mind. It wasn’t a normal dream, naturally. It wasn’t passed memories, or my normal nightmares. It seemed as if it were a look at what was to come. Something, even in my dream, I prayed never did.  
  
I was in a long hallway, with grand pillars and huge stained-glass windows, filtering in light from somewhere beyond. The floor was checkered yellow and orange. The hallway was actually quite lovely, except for the scene before me.

  
Sans was in front of me, his arms raised in a way I knew well. Something was coming for me, and he had every intention of stopping it. I ran towards him, drawing near, to feel safer, and give him the benefit of the doubt.

  
His hands were glowing blue now, but fiercely, in anger, crackling with the power of his magic. I let my soul respond to his magic, and allowed the golden light gently caress my fingertips, getting ready. I could see the exact look on his face as a snarl ripped through him, even though he was faced away from me. Towards…Toriel?

  
No, it wasn’t Toriel, but something like her. This was a man, who was much taller, and broader. This monster carried a trident, and wore a purple cloak, a color that matched Toriel’s robes. He had a golden beard, that matched his hair, and two magnificent horns, of which in the center rested a crown.

  
A king.

  
Asgore.

  
My blood ran cold. This was the man that wanted me dead to free his subjects. A man that Sans wouldn’t let touch me. A man, who maybe be right…

  
“Sans, please don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” The king asked, in a deep voice. Sans growled a response. “Very well.”

  
The king raised his blood red staff, and I felt my soul get pulled into the fight. The king quickly swiped his staff, to and fro, of which I dodged, with slight difficulty. I didn’t have to worry for very long, because I felt my soul being released, as Sans placed his own into the fight. My heart ached for the skeleton before me. I hovered close, waiting.

  
But, God, watching Sans fight. He moved with such precision and accuracy that it was amazing. He used the least amount of effort, and I smiled in spite of myself, because it was so him to do that. It was remarkable. Not a single vicious attack of the king’s touched him.

  
Then Sans moved to offense. I almost laughed at how incredible it was. Of course, his attack involved bones, that trapped, and hurt the king, the few hits Sans landed, but that wasn’t the best thing. The best thing was the huge skull, looming behind him, staring down Asgore. It reminded me of the cow skulls you’d see in the desert in all the western movies. Except, this skull was humming with power and completely Sans’. It seemed to hover and protect me while Sans fought. I longed to touch the beast, but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.

  
He seemed to have the upper hand against the king, until, a small child, in a green and yellow striped sweater came up behind Sans, with gruesome red eyes and a knife. I called out to Sans, trying something, anything to stop the child, but my soul wasn’t fast enough for this new threat. I could have blamed the dream, but I knew that that wasn’t the problem. This child, this demon, had it out for Sans.

  
Sans turned, saw the child, and froze in panic, shock, and fear. I knew Sans saw this child as a bigger threat, and the fact that it was between him and I, made him glower something fierce. He was so adamant about the demon child that didn’t see Asgore make his attack. I threw my magic at him, to protect Sans, and closed my eyes, not wanting to watch the horror that was before me, because I knew I was too late. I was too slow. Too human.

  
There was a high-pitched giggle. I dared to open my eyes, and before standing me, Asgore, but he didn’t hold my focus. All Asgore could do was kill me. I frantically looked around for Sans and saw him, on the floor, not moving. The demon was gone.

  
“Please don’t be dead,” I whispered to Sans, as tears streamed down my face. He didn't respond. His would light was fading...

  
I roared in frustration, letting my soul give into my anger and threw the king out of my way easily, and ran to Sans’ side, kneeling beside him, rolling him onto his back. My heart fluttered in relief when his eyes opened slightly, and he was breathing, laboriously, but breathing. I cradled his head in my lap, running my fingers over the smooth bone of his skull, crying. I could see hairline cracks littered throughout the bones of his body.

  
“go,” He whispered, broken. I shook my head.

  
“Not without you. You promised.” I wept, my voice cracking.

  
He said my name softly, and reached out to stroke my cheek, his hands were cold.

  
“Human.” The deep voice of the king called from behind me. Anger raged through me, and I gently laid Sans back on the ground, and whipped around, snarling, my golden flames pouring from my hands, and swirling around both Sans and me. I could feel Sans’ soul fading, second by second, like sand from an hourglass.

  
“Leave. Him. Alone.” I growled, glaring the king down.

  
“I must—” The king began. I knew what he was going to say. I didn’t want to hear it.

  
“FINE!” I roared. “Take my soul! Kill me!” My voice faltered, tears pouring down my face in anguish. “But get him out.” I begged, and paused. “Let him see the stars,” I whispered.

  
I stood straight, and held my head high, walking towards the king, who towered over me. I could hear Sans protesting from behind me, and my heart broke. I was three feet in front of the king, and I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, silent tears making their way down my face. I made my choice, and I was determined to follow through with it. The king raised his spear, pressing it against my chest where my soul resided.  
All he could do was kill me.  
  
I heard my name being called. It was his voice. He was calling and pleading for me to wake up.

  
Wake up?

  
Oh, God, I wasn’t dead. My eyes flickered open, and I was met with a very worried anxious skeleton. I gasped, and reached out for him. I had to know that he was there. That he was okay. I felt his arms wrap around me tightly and my arms wrapped around his neck, sobbing.

  
He was okay. He was okay. He was here. He was alive. He was okay.

  
Sans held me tight as I cried. He knew exactly how I was feeling, and the agony I was in.  
I couldn’t lose him.

  
I started hyperventilating, squeaking out breaths. I could feel his chest rise and fall, in a normal rhythm. I knew exactly what he was doing, and I matched my breathing to his. It got me to calm down enough that my lungs didn’t feel like coming out of my chest. Tears still streamed down my face as I clung to him tightly. I still wasn’t convinced that it was a dream, and we both weren’t dead.

  
Until there was a knock on the door, and I about screamed bloody murder, but Papyrus just came in with a glass of water, and a mug of something warm, as well as a blanket draped over his arm. I let out a hopeless laugh at the sight and wrapped my arms tightly back around Sans and buried my face in his shoulder, and started crying again.

  
No words were said between the two brothers. I felt the blanket get wrapped around me, and Sans arms return as he rubbed my back. He began whispering gentle consoles, caressing my name as he said it. It calmed me faster than I had thought it would. Of course, that was my first time being comforted like that.

  
I pulled away gently and took his face in my hands, stroking his cheekbones softly with the pads of my thumbs, studying him, memorizing him.

  
“Sans,” I croaked softly. I held to his name like a prayer.

  
He reached over and handed me the glass of water that Papyrus had brought in, and I drank it slowly, until it was gone. I felt better after I had it. I rubbed my face and gave an apologetic sheepish smile.

  
“Sorry,” I whispered. Sans just shook his head and pulled me close again.

  
“you scared me half to death.” I flinched at the word. “you were screaming and crying and you wouldn’t wake up.” He whispered. “what was that?”

  
“A dream.” I tried to convince both of us. “It was just a dream. It’s gone.”

  
I took deep breaths, trying not to let another round of hysterics set in. I could feel Sans fingers run through my hair. I took another deep breath.

  
“What time is it?” I asked, looking around for a distraction.

  
“’bout six in the mornin’” He said with a lazy smile. I groaned and flopped back onto the bed. I looked up at him. He was watching me closely.

  
“Sorry?” I offered again, but like before he just shook his head.

  
“are you okay? i’ve never seen anyone…” He didn’t finish his thought. He had been that someone, once upon a time. That’s why Papyrus knew what to do, wordlessly.

  
“I’m… I’m okay.” I decided, sitting up. “I probably won’t be able to sleep for some time, but… I’m okay.”

  
“what do you need?” He asked, pleading. I could see it in his soul that he wanted to make it better, but what could I tell him? How was I supposed to explain that freakish nightmare?

  
“A shower?” I offered. I didn’t really want to be away from him, but a shower might wash away the feeling.

  
He seemed to notice my hesitance, and raised his brow bone, waiting for a better answer. I thought, about what would make me feel better, about what always calmed me when everything seemed to be falling apart, and my eyes lit up with the perfect answer.

  
“Hand me my phone.” I asked him, looking at it on the dresser. He didn’t get up, or move away from me. He used his magic and my phone hovered over towards me, glowing a slight blue all the while. It rested itself softly in my outstretched hand, and for a moment my hand tingled from the sensation his magic gave.

  
I quickly unlocked the phone with my fingerprint, to Sans’ surprise. I smiled at him and shrugged. Technology. There on the home screen, beside the camera and phone icons, was what I was looking for: an icon with two connected eighth notes, my music.

  
I tapped the app and it opened up to the different playlists I had made. I scrolled to the one I normally used for calming down, and hit the play button. Soft piano music started playing through the speakers as I tossed the phone towards the edge of the bed, and laid back, closing my eyes, and counting to ten. I felt Sans lay next to me, and I moved closer to him, taking his hand, again letting him anchor me to reality.

  
Clair De Lune slowly faded into Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and I let myself unwind. The playlist ran its course, slowly playing soft lullabies that calmed me, from every genre, each song possessing its own beautiful melody. Soon I was humming and sing softly along to the familiar music.

  
The dream faded. The demon child and its red eyes and knife faded. Asgore faded along with the hallway. I closed my eyes, and let myself drift. Not quite awake, not quite asleep, just drifting. I stayed there until I felt ready to get up and try again. Sans stayed with me, by my side, listening, and calming himself as well.

  
Nights had always been hard, but they were never this hard, but with every night came the day. A day I was going to get through, and be okay. I sat up, and ran my fingers through my hair, focusing on detangling it. Sans sat up beside me, remaining close. I reached over him for my phone, to turn the music off. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t have a charger, and wasn’t going to risk it dying on me. It wasn’t too far down on its battery life, but still. Maybe the shop would have something that could help. I thought of a few other things that I could also use, just to keep my nerves under wraps. I stood, cautiously, and headed to his closet. It was time to face the day.

  
After brushing my teeth, changing, and braiding my hair, I told Sans that I wanted to go back to the shop, and back out to see the town.

  
“are you sure?” He asked, worried. I smiled and nodded, though his worry was not misplaced. I wasn’t sure myself that I was one hundred percent okay.

  
We walked along the snowy path, making small talk and polite greetings to the monsters that were out on the town along with us. I was much warmer with the knitted beanie keeping my ears warm, and Sans’ jacket over my long sleeves and sweater from Toriel. My bag was slung over my shoulder, and it bounced against my leg as we walked.

  
Like before, the bell above the door rang as we entered, and Cassandra met us with a smile, and said that the sale was still going on. Which was good, because I didn’t want to think about who was paying just yet. I headed towards what looked like electronics and went through every single wire looking thing that was there.

  
“Aha!” I stated in victory, pulling out a tangled red charger that would fit my phone. Before we came, I made sure that Sans’ house had outlets to plug the charger into, and it did, so I felt victorious.

  
“‘d’ya find it?” He asked, looking through what the rest of the store had to offer. I needed and held it up successfully, showing him. He smiled at my happiness, but I could tell that something was bothering him. I gave him an asking look, wanting to know what it was, but he just shook his head, as if to say ‘later.’ Later it is then, but I knew I wasn’t going to let it go.

  
I looked through each of the shelves in the shop, really looking at what they had this time. The store was set up in sections, electronics, home goods, dishes, various snow tools, a good amount of food, shoes, and clothes. I wandered around, meandering, and found something that caught my surprise. I ran my hand over the worn leather bound sketchbook. I picked it up and opened it, the spine protesting against the movement. The pages were slightly yellow, but sturdy, and all blank. I marveled at the odd book, and closed it, looking at the cover, where in the leather was engraved initials: ‘BMC.’

  
It was beautiful. I had never seen anything like this book. I held it close to my chest as I looked around for something to mark the pages up with. There wasn’t any charcoal, but there were a few pencils varying in graphite types that would more than do.  
Sans seemed to notice the book in my hands, and tilted his head in confusion. I smiled and shrugged. I had gone through all of highschool learning how to draw and letting my emotions out through them. My art teacher was one of the few people that actually made me want to try. It was a part of me.

  
I made my way to the counter, where Cassandra flitted to, seeing that we were done. She took the pencils and charger, but eyes the book.

  
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that here before.” She said, confused. I frowned.

  
“Is it not for sale?” I asked, taken aback. I could feel Sans’ arm wrap around my waist as my soul fell. I wanted the book, and the thought of not having it was…

  
“Oh, I mean, it’s not mine to sell Miss,” Cassandra amended. “And since you seem to want it, you can have it, free of charge.” She smiled warmly.

  
“Really?” I was shocked at her kindness. The rabbit smiled and nodded, and gave the total for the other items I had picked out. My eyes glanced at Sans, his face remained calm and composed, so I dug through my bag for the right amount to cover what I owed. I nudged his arm as a thanks, and put my new things in my bag. I smiled and again thanked Cassandra, as Sans and I walked out of the shop.

  
“Thanks,” I said aloud, then the door had closed behind us.

  
“no problem, just means i’m getting you lunch.” He smirked. I rolled my eyes and smiled as we made our way to Grillby’s, my hunger making itself known. I hadn’t eaten in… well, a while, and neither had Sans, so we both needed food.

  
Grillby lit up (ha) when he saw us stroll through the doors. I gave him a wave, and Sans a nod, as we went to the same booth we had last time. The fire elemental still mesmerized me, the way he moved. Sans sat across from me, as before, and I tucked my bag in the corner of the booth, sitting.

  
“you draw?” He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. I smiled and nodded. “you any good?” He almost challenged. I laughed and shrugged.

  
“Depends on who you ask.” I said, thinking of the person who had demolished my passion for art. All the praise in the world couldn’t outshine damaging words like that. I worried my lip at the thought, and Sans nudged my foot under the table.

  
“i’m sure you’re great.” He affirmed. I smiled, he was good at cheering me up.

  
Grillby came up then, and asked for our order in a series of crackles and hisses, of which this time I understood. I answered, asking for some water and burger. It had been good last time, so I figured why not? I was a creature of habit. Sans asked for the same thing, not giving it much thought. I smiled at how he acted. It was so nice to finally have someone around that didn’t stress over every single thing in the world. He was laid-back and care-free. Things I needed to learn how to be.

  
Lunch passed without much event, and Sans had paid, as he said before. Grillby acted shocked when he did, and part of me wondered why. I decided to let it slide.

  
The warmth of home welcomed me, soothing my chilled skin. The snow wasn’t wearing on me as it once had. Of course, now I had a skeleton who was a lot more comfortable with being closer to me, providing me with warmth. Papyrus wasn’t home when we got there, so I decided that it was later. I took my sketchbook out of my bag, and placed it on the table carefully, and led Sans to the couch.

  
“Okay,” I prompted, after I settled into the corner of the couch, “What’s going on?’ I asked him, determined to get an answer from him.

  
“you worry me.” He said. I rolled my eyes and waited for more. He gave in. “i was thinking about what you could have been dreaming of last night.” He confessed. “there’s not much that can do that to a person, so it had to be bad.”

  
I looked at him, and pressed my lips together, trying to decide the best way to word what I was about to say.

  
“It was, you and I,” I began, confusion flitted across his face, his expression guarded. “We were in a long hallway. Facing Asgore.” I gritted out. I could feel Sans tense up.

  
“i won’t let him hurt you.” He vowed. I nodded.

  
“I know, that wasn’t the problem. You held your own very well,” I admitted with a smile, impressed. “There was… a child there. They, it…” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “It was awful. Their eyes were blood red, and they had a knife. They moved like a ghost.” I whispered.

  
Sans’ hands were suddenly on my arms, gripping them tightly as he called my name with worry and anger.

  
“what did the kid look like?” He demanded, rather harshly. I looked up at him, my eyes wide in shock.

  
“Green and yellow sweater.” I managed to get out. “Brown cropped hair… Sans?” I asked, my anxiety rising. “Sans who was that? And why did they want you dead? What were you afraid of them?” My questions rushed out, my hands moving to hold his face, to have him look at me.

  
I heard Sans grit out a curse, and his eyes flashed to mine, his eye glowing blue, the way it did when he was angry and on defense.

  
“Sans,” I said cautiously, running my thumbs over his cheek bones. “Please, tell me,” Tears began to sting my eyes.

  
“what else happened?” He asked curtly.

  
I bit my lip, recoiling from the sharp words, my hands dropping to my lap. I didn’t like how he was responding to what I was telling him. A thousand questions burned on my tongue. He sighed and reached out slowly and caressed my cheek, brushing away a stray tear that had managed to escape. The blue glow faded from his eye.

  
“i’m sorry,” He said softly. “i didn’t mean to snap at you. please, continue.” He asked. Still worrying my lip, I debated on telling him or not. He seemed to sense that. He called my name softly. “i’m sorry. i’ll be quiet, but i need to know,”

  
“They didn’t do anything, but distract you… I wasn’t fast enough… Asgore got to you before I could.” I whispered. “You told me to go,” I looked down. “I couldn’t without you. I told Asgore to…” I didn’t want to finish my sentence. Sans knew what I did, and I didn’t have to say it. “That’s when I heard you calling to me, to wake up.” I swallowed my tears. “It just felt so real.” I whispered out.

  
I looked up at Sans, and he was just looking at me, trying to figure out what to do or say.  
“their name is chara.” He said after a while. “i... don’t know much except that they’re not good. downright evil.” Sans whispered, remembering something that I couldn’t see.

  
“Why did you tell me to go?” I asked, thinking aloud. “You know that I wouldn’t go without you.”

  
“i do.” Sans affirmed. “but, i don’t know how you knew, but a hit like that from anyone would, well, kill me.” He said deliberately.

  
I gasped, and looked at him shocked, waiting for answers. Kill him? How could he die… so easily? Was I missing something? I knew I was, but I didn’t know what it was. Part of me wondered if Papyrus was that fragile too. In the middle of my questioning thoughts, something clicked.

  
“A human and monster soul combined has enough to get through the barrier.” I said robotically. “You told me to go,” I whispered. “You knew you were gonna…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

  
I felt Sans arm wrap around me, pulling me close to him. I was in such a state of shock, that I didn’t move. My brain—my soul fought against the very thought of him dying. He couldn’t die. He couldn’t leave me, not like that. I felt tears run down my cheeks and my hands gripped his shirt. I stared at the wall in front of me, not knowing what to do, or say. My hands started to shake.

  
Sans called my name softly, pulling away, and putting his hands on either side of my face, holding it. His eyes met mine, but my eyes were far beyond the scene before me. I saw him, lying on the floor in the hallway, lifeless. He called my name again, pleading. I blinked, and was drawn from my nightmare.

  
His face was full of worry and anxiety. I could feel my hands shaking, so I pressed them harder against him, trying to get them to stop.

  
“You can’t…” I whispered. He seemed relieved that I was talking. How long had I been out of it? Not too long…

  
“nothing’s gonna happen,” Sans promised, stroking my cheek. “it was just a dream. i promise. no one can hurt you here. no one will hurt either of us. i swear.” His voice was sure.

  
I nodded mutely and laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me. I studied his bones again, still marveled by them. He was so intricately made that it was beautiful.

  
“Can I draw you?” I wondered aloud. It was more of my own thought, wondering if I really could. I had drawn human skulls and hands before, but drawing him, I felt, would be different somehow. I felt a laugh rumble through him.

  
“i dunno, can you?” He challenged, cracking a smile.

  
I returned the smile and got up to get the leather bound sketchbook and the few pencils I had. He let me, waiting for me to get back. He looked to me for directions, and I smiled, and gave him a nudge, telling him to back up. He complied and moved to the other end of the sofa. I opened the sketchbook and flipped a few pages. I hated starting on the first page of any sketchbook.

  
He sat still, not moving at all, while I sighted dimensions, and mapped out my space on the page. My pencil ran furiously over the page, creating lines. I settled back against the arm of the couch to allow my eyes to flicker between the page and Sans much easier. Every once in a while, I’d angle sight, or take another dimension, always checking and rechecking, until I was satisfied with the basic contour lines.

  
That’s when I switched to a much softer graphite to start filling in shadows. Once again, my pencil danced across the page. I filled in the darkness of his eyes, leaving the little white pinpricks exposed on the yellow paper. I moved to his nose next, then mouth, slowly adding dimension to my Sans, making it look more and more like the real thing.

  
A while later, I decided that I was satisfied, and proud of it. It looked so much like him. I lazily shaded in the background, letting my knees drop to stretch out my legs.

  
“You can move.” I told him, not taking my eyes from the page. I could feel him move closer to me to look over my shoulder, at what I had drawn. I kept shading in the backdrop, darkening the areas closest to him, making him stand out against the paper.

  
“holy... i was right, you can draw.” He said, I could hear the smile in his voice. I blew away the extra graphite, and examined the drawing a bit more closely, agonizing over the little things I had gotten wrong. Suddenly the book was gone from my hands, and Sans had it in his, standing across the room.

  
“Give it back!” I whined getting up. It was mine.

  
“i will if you promise not to think badly about it.” He responded. I fumed and folded my arms.

  
“Fine.” I said stalking over to him, holding my hand out for the book. “Now, give it.” I demanded.

  
He complied with a smile, and rolled his eyes. I hugged the book to my chest, letting the idea of worrying about every minor mistake fade. He was right, if I agonized about every little thing, I’d never be happy. Stupid smart skeleton.

  
I went back to the couch, and opened the book again, turning to another page and sketching gently, absentmindedly. Things I remembered about Sans: how he looked when he was in a fight, eye glowing blue; how he looked when he had said an awful pun, and gotten a reaction from both Papyrus and I; how his hands looked intertwined in mine. All the little things I remembered, and slowly sketched down, wanting to always remember.

  
Sans settled beside me on the couch, turning on the tv, flipping through the channels with little interest. I didn’t really pay attention; I kept doodling. Not soon after Papyrus came home carrying bags of… something? It smelled like food. My stomach told me it was food.

  
“HELLO HUMAN! HELLO SANS! I BROUGHT HOME DINNER!!” Papyrus announced. “ALPHYS SENT SOME RAMEN, AND UNDYNE MADE SUSHI FOR YOU!!”

  
I smiled and closed my book, getting up to help Paps, thanking him. I still wondered if Undyne eating sushi was cannibalism. I shrugged and felt Sans draw near because his soul’s calling to mine grew stronger. I grabbed plates and bowls from the cupboards, and set them on the counter next to the silverware Sans had gotten out, as Papyrus unloaded the food. It smelled heavenly.

  
I served for Sans, then myself and made my way back out to the couch to sit and enjoy the meal. It was amazing, of course, as all monster food was. I instantly felt better.

  
We sat together, as a small family, watching the tv, and eating food given to us by good friends. I never had something like this before and to be honest it was, well amazing. Papyrus chatted about who Alphys was, and what she liked and the obvious chemistry between her and Undyne. I gave a laugh when he told me that Undyne was too chicken to ask her out. I never thought that Undyne being cowardly would ever happen. She was so confident and fierce!

  
All the while Sans had his arm around me, listening quietly, staring at the tv, though I knew he wasn't paying attention to the flickering screen. His mind was elsewhere, though where exactly, I wasn't sure. When anxiety and fear seemed to capture the brightness of his soul, I nudged his shoulder and raised my eyebrows slightly, giving him and asking look. I wanted to know what was bringing him down like that. He just shook his head and pulled me closer, which gave me my answer. He was thinking about my dream and the demon child in the green and yellow striped sweater.

  
My recently charged phone told me that it was around nine at night when Papyrus dashed off to bed with quick good nights to both Sand and I, telling me to feel better. I smiled and watched as he went to his room, and suddenly it was awful quiet, even with the tv on.

  
I looked around and sighed, picking up all the dishes and heading to the kitchen to start washing and cleaning up dinner. I hummed as I cleaned, and I could feel Sans behind me, watching. I finished washing the dishes and laying them on the drying mat on the counter, and put the leftovers in the fridge, then leaned against the counter, facing Sans.

  
“So what was earlier about?” I asked him, making sure he didn't weasel his way out of this one.

  
I could tell by the look on his face he was debating on whether or not to tell me or not. I folded my arms and raised my eyebrows, not budging on the subject. Of course I knew he could see the stubbornness and determination in my soul about the matter and gave in. He sighed.

  
“just thinking about the best way to keep you safe. ‘s’all.” He shrugged. I studied him. His soul was dim with doubt and worry, which in turn worried me. I crossed the small kitchen and wrapped my arms around him.

  
“We'll be okay,” I whispered softly. “We have each other, and a few others who I'm sure will stand at our side.” I thought of Undyne, and this Alphys character. I'm sure I'd meet many more. The Underground was huge, and I had someone to show me though it all. We wouldn't be alone. We'd never be alone again, because even if there was no one left, we'd have each other.

  
He nodded and sighed.

  
“Are you tired?” I asked him, thinking.

  
“not really, what's up?” He asked curiously.

  
“It's December 24th.” Of course the date meant nothing to him, but it did to me.

  
“okay?” He cocked his head to the side, looking confused.

  
I laughed and grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door, where my boots and bag awaited me for my future excursion.

We were going to have Christmas. We were having Christmas as a small family. To give them something they never had before. A thanks for giving me something that I never had before.

  
A family.

 

 


	5. I Couldn't Help It, It Had To Be You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovely children. 
> 
> I love each and every one of your comments. They make me so happy when I see them.  
> Here's more cuteness and angst.
> 
> Disclaimer: The only reason I know the bones in the hand is not because I'm smart but because I broke my metacarpal while playing dodgeball at summer camp. Go figure. I'm a writer, not an athlete. 
> 
> Enjoy and have fun with it. 
> 
> (Also the new Mamma Mia soundtrack is my love and life at this moment, so if you're looking for something to listen to I highly recommend the soundtrack. :))

“i’m confused?” Sans said as I explained Christmas to him.

“Why?” It all made sense to me, but then again I never had to question why… Because it was what we did.

“you spend a holiday… around a tree… with family and friends… giving each other presents?” He summed up.

“Yes, exactly.” I smiled, decorating the tree we had set up in the living room, with extra Christmas lights Sans had. 

We had gone by Undyne’s earlier, also explaining the holiday to her and what we were doing for Paps. Of course she was totally on board and asked if she could invite some people she knew as well. I didn't see why not. We planned to meet in the morning, early.

I was grinning to myself as I watched everything fall into place. At the shop Cassandra asked about the late night trip and I filled her in, while also inviting her and her sister, who worked the inn next door. Soon the whole town was buzzing with plans for tomorrow, reaching out to everyone and anyone. The monsters seemed more excited about Christmas than I did when I was little. Of course I never had a Christmas morning. My family followed an old family tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve after the candlelight service at church. I smiled at those memories.

Sans hovered near me as I gathered things for wrapping presents, opting out for newspaper instead of wrapping paper, well, because the shop didn’t have any, nor did anyone in the Underground for that matter. Sans had made sure that Papyrus was sound asleep before we moved everything into the house. That's when I went in a decorating frenzy, which was nice, because it reminded me of when my mom and I dedicated one day to decorating the house for Christmas and one day only. That was it. It was quite a day. It wasn't as difficult as I thought that it would be, because Sans pitched in and used his gravity magic to hang things and get to spots that I couldn't reach. He also made a pot of coffee. Which was its own God-send.

Not an inch of their home was left undecorated. The lights twinkled and gave the room it's own glow, making a few tears escape from my eyes because it was more than perfect in my eyes. There were a few presents wrapped under the tree for Paps, from both Sans and I. I smiled and leaned against Sans, when we were done and the clock ticked its hands to one am.

“you're not gonna sleep tonight are you?” Sans asked, knowing.

I shook my head. Besides the coffee that I had, I probably wouldn't have slept either, between the excitement and well, the dream, which was kept under wraps and all but forgotten as the hours past. I knew Sans wasn't going to sleep either, for similar reasons to mine, but my mind wondered if coffee affected him the same way it did me, or if he just liked the taste.

“thanks,” he whispered into my hair when we were curled up on the couch, watching the twinkling lights of the tree as they reflected off the mirrored colorful balls. The fact they had ornaments but not wrapping paper was, well, strange, but so was the rest of the town, so I didn't expect anything else.

“For?” I asked, tucking a blanket around my feet, keeping them warm. It was a struggle, because Sans was so warm, therefore the parts of me near him weren't cold, but the rest of me was, even with socks.

“all of this is.” He gestured vaguely at the room. “i’ve never had something like this before, and the way you were so animated around others at the idea of christmas, well, it makes me happy to see you happy by making others happy. no one has really had anything to look forward too, and you've given them this, and it's incredible.”

I felt my cheeks get warm with the compliments he was giving me. I liked making people happy. It made me happy. I hid my face more in his shoulder from the embarrassment of his words, and I could feel him laugh at my action. I bit back a smile.

We sat there, watching the tree, well, Sans watched the tree, I watched his soul more than anything else. It was a blazing fire of blue, swirling with happiness, and contentedness. The cracks and brokenness seemed to fade a little, filled with the gentle swirls of his joy. I frowned when I was another color in his soul, barely there, hidden lightly. It was golden, like the color of my soul, filling in the cracks in his soul, making them smooth, healed.

“what’s wrong?” Sans asked, picking up on my confusion. I shrugged. Nothing was wrong. Just, new. Different.

I must have fallen asleep, because I felt Sans pick me up and carry me upstairs. I gave a small protest, but allowed it. He was warm and I was comfortable. The next time I drifted towards consciousness, I felt fingers run through my hair. The small part of me that was awake, knew that it was Sans. She also knew that he hadn't slept a wink, but the more potent part of me silenced her and sank back into a dreamless, blissful sleep.

The third time I was woken, it was by Sans, deliberately, telling me it was time to get up. I protested, and hid under the covers.

“okay, fine, i’ll just let papyrus downstairs…” He trailed off, a smile in his voice, knowing he won. I groaned and sat up, glaring at him. He mocked a glare right back, then went back to laughing.

I blinked my way through a shower, and getting ready. I settled on my new jeans and a new black sweater, with flower embroidery along the sleeve cuffs. I let my hair air dry, leaving it loose. By the time that had come to pass, I headed downstairs, and met and awaiting Undyne, and a short yellow dinosaur type monster, who could be none other than Alphys. Sans was chatting with them casually. The clock read five am.

I beelined for the coffee, needing about, six cups of it before I thought I could feel myself again. Sans also made me eat some eggs and bacon that Undyne had made earlier that morning. They tasted good, so I didn't feel bad about making Sans eat too.

There was no way to describe the pure joy that was on Papyrus’ face when he had seen what we had spent all night doing. He lit up more than the Christmas tree. I beamed at the taller skeleton, his happiness, nothing if not contagious. He gave me a hug, lifting me off the floor, and spun me around as if I weighed nothing. I laughed and hugged him back. This is what brothers were supposed to be.

We all gathered around the tree as the time came for presents, a few more appearing since last night. I figured that they'd come from Undyne and Alphys. Most of them went to Papyrus, but a few made their way to the rest of us. The last thing I expected was that any of them made their way to me. I didn't need anything, or want anything. Today wasn't about me.

Papyrus enthusiastically tore into his presents, marveling at the action figures I had found, along with the comic books that were at the shop. Sans nudged my shoulder when I zoned out too far, gesturing to the couple of presents in my hands.

I sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa, setting them in my lap, and opening the one from Undyne and Alphys. It was a DVD of an anime. I studied the box, reading the back, trying to make out the faded English in small print under the Japanese. Alphys lit up when she saw me studying the box, launching into telling me about it, stuttering slightly now and again. I grinned at her and Undyne and thanked them both, going to set the box by the tv, for when I had time to watch it.

There was another present waiting for me when I sat back down. I frowned at it and looked to Sans for an explanation. He just gave a crooked guilty smile and shrugged. I shook my head smiling, and unwrapped the present from Sans. It was a silver locket, the pendant being an oval shape with delicate engravings on it of floral patterns. I looked at him curiously and he nodded for me to open it, his soul flaring with excitement. I used my thumb and index finger to pop open the small locket, and inside found a picture of him and Papyrus on one side, and on the other, Undyne and Alphys.

Tears pricked my eyes, as I ran my thumb carefully over the pictures, biting my lip to hold back the tears. I felt Sans arms wrap around my waist, pulling me to him. I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him close. 

“Thank you,” I whispered through tears. “Thank you so much.”

It was more than just the locket he had given me, he had shown me to the people inside. He had given me my new family.

I heard Undyne cough, obnoxiously, and I quickly pulled away from Sans, beet red. The fish woman rolled her eyes, and I raised my eyebrows, gesturing to Alphys and smirking. It was Undyne's turn to blush red. I laughed and sat on the couch with Sans, slipping the locket around my neck, as it hung in the center of my chest.

We watched as the other three played with Papyrus’ new toys, interacting with them adamantly. It made me smile as I laid my head on Sans shoulder.

I regretfully got up when there was a knock on the door. Sans hovered by my side as I met Grillby and his daughter, along with Cassandra,and her sister, and little ones at the door. I smiled and welcomed them all in, wishing them all a Merry Christmas. The rabbits had brought baked goods that smelled heavenly. I led them to the kitchen to set them down, and offered coffee.

The atmosphere became much warmer, and happier with each monster that showed up, with either a present or food. Which was good, because I hadn’t accounted for the fact that everyone coming would be hungry. Each dish was home made and smelled amazing. I had a little of everything, having more of what I liked, and passing to Sans what I didn’t. He rolled his eyes at me each time and finished each of the foods.

It seemed like the entire town of Snowdin was in the main room, most of which were dogs, who knew Undyne well. I met most of them, including the two from the forest, from, what seemed like forever ago. They were all very nice, and part of the Royal Guard. Except for the Temmies. That was an entire other matter.

I drifted up the stairs, later that night, and sat on the top step, watching. Sans was still by my side, quiet, his hand in mine the entire time. We sat together, and watched, as the monsters below were talking, laughing, and sharing stories, all under colorful twinkling lights. It was a wonderful sight to see. Something I never knew I wanted. Something I was happy that I had.

 When the day had passed, and it was the five of us again, my energy seemed to wane, and I could tell that Sans’ was too. I wondered if he would sleep tonight. Or if I would. Exhaustion might take me first, before I had a choice in the matter.

Undyne called my name, and I looked up. I felt Sans beside me laugh and tighten his arm around me. We were curled back up in the couch. I had zoned out, staring at the pretty lights on the evergreen.

“I asked if you wanted to come over and play for us. Ya know, as a present to us?” She grinned. I grinned right back and rolled my eyes.

“At least you're forward about this.” I drawled. Her eyes narrowed at me, and I smiled innocently. Sans was cracking up beside me.

Papyrus and Alphys seemed completely lost. Which was probably a good thing.

“Come on nerd, play for us.” Undyne recovered.

“Fine,” I gave in, rolling my eyes and getting my shoes from upstairs.

When we were all ready, Sans cut a neat door way for us, to the outside of Undyne's home, which still made me snicker, because it was too funny.

 “I-I- invited Mett-Mettaton.” Alphys stammered out when we were all inside and I was settled again on the piano bench.

“you what!?” Sans suddenly snapped, going tense. I laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look. He seemed to mellow out a little, but was still on edge.

“Awe come on, you don't want him alone on Christmas do you?” Undyne chimed in, sticking up for Alphys.

I looked to Sans for an answer. It was his call. Something about this Mettaton didn't sit right with Sans, and made him go on the defense quickly, which scared me a little, but the others seemed to know this monster, and seemed alright with the idea. And it wasn't like I wanted anyone alone on Christmas either.

“Sans?” I asked softly. He looked down at me and sighed.

“if one thing goes wrong he will be a pile of scrap metal. understand?” He threatened. Both Undyne and Alphys nodded, and I slid over on the bench to let Sans sit with me, between me and the door. I knew it would put some of his worry at ease.

I smiled and placed my fingers on the keys of the beautiful instrument, and began playing _The First Noel,_ calmly and slowly, letting myself slip into the melody as I searched my mind for other Christmas carols I knew. I hummed softly with the melody, placing the few words I did know of the song before I moved onto _Hark The Herald,_ and _Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem,_ placing the lyrics here and there. 

“My my darling,” A smooth robotic voice purred at me. “You play absolutely marvelously.”

I turned and looked at the new comer, who was, a box? Robot? Pile of scraps suddenly made a lot more sense in Sans’ threat. This had to be Mettaton.

“Thank you,” I murmured, and went back to playing. I could feel Sans tense up beside me, so I slid closer to him, not being able to do much with my hands on the keys and foot on the damper pedal, using that as needed.

When I began to run out of carols, exhausting even the cheesy kiddie ones, I started to play a few of the songs from my calming down playlist, again getting lost in the melodies. Sans seemed to recognize the songs I was playing. The ones that had words, like Christina Perri’s _A Thousand Years,_ or Taylor Swift’s _Untouchable,_ I sang to.

I let the music drift of gently, letting it fade into nothing as my hands fell into my lap. I heard clapping from my small audience. Sans simply let his hand find mine and held it tight. I could tell that Mettaton’s presence was upsetting him still. I tried to think of a way to ease his worry, but come up short of an idea.

Undyne had made tea, Golden Flower Tea, to be exact. Not that the type meant much to me, but everyone else seemed, more tense. I drank it gratefully, though I wasn't much of a tea person. Still, the tea was made of magic, and therefore, marveled my tongue with its taste. We kept a polite conversation, having moved to the couches in Undyne's living room.

Papyrus and Undyne were talking adamantly about cooking techniques and Alphys and Mettaton were discussing mechanics and computer programming, that I was so lost to, that the only words I knew were the ‘and’s and ‘the’s. Sans chimed in a few times to that conversation, shocking me that he knew about it. When I looked to him for an explanation, he simply shrugged, and his soul got a bit duller. I wondered if he knew so much because his father had taught him. I knew not to push a subject like that. Especially when there were people around. I wouldn't corner him like that.

I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. The exhaustion was getting to me finally and I was ready to crash. I knew Sans could sense that when he told the others he and I were going to head home, and that Papyrus could come home anytime as long as it wasn't too late. Which ensued the idea of a sleepover. Sans seemed okay with that, and we stood. He cut a doorway straight to his room, and I fell right onto his bed, kicked my shoes off and curled up to sleep. I heard a faint laugh, and then felt Sans crawl into bed beside me, and pull me close, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“merry christmas,” he whispered.

 “Merry Christmas Sans,” I murmured before sleep deprivation pulled me under for good.

I dreamed that night. Not of old memories, or nightmarish kings. No, I dreamed of Sans. His smile, the way he laughed, I treasured that sound, for I rarely heard it. I dreamed we were topside, strolling along the beaches of my childhood, basking in the sun. We watched the sunset together, the fading light casting beautiful vivid colors across the sky and her clouds. I laid my head in his lap as the stars made their appearance, shining brightly as they always had for me.

 All the while his hands were intertwined with mine, and I was happy to be with his. To be by his side.

 There was nothing more I wanted than to give him my dream. I wanted him to see that stars. To take away the pain of being trapped. I wanted to give him freedom.

I peaked my eyes open, for a small moment, and I saw what I wanted to in that second. Sans was fast asleep, his soul resting and churning a light blue. He needed the sleep. He needed some time to be free of his fears.

 I thought about Sans and all he had told me. He said he didn't remember the stars, but remember the barrier being placed, and humans that could use magic like I could. I thought about his father, and how he had hurt Sans the way my brother had hurt me. I yearned to ask him about it, but knew better than to. He would tell me when he felt safe with me, and I was okay with waiting.

 Sans was still in my thoughts when I drifted back to sleep. I dreamed again. I saw a younger Sans, cradling something in his arms, cowering in a corner from a looming shadow. I tried to reach out and protect him, but I couldn't. I had to watch the horror unfold before me.

 “hey, it's okay,” I heard Sans call my name softly. “wake up,”

 My eyes fluttered open, and he was there smiling, and stroking my cheek withe the back of his hand, the smooth warm bones of his fingers brushing away stray tears. When would the nightmares end?

 “its morning.” He said giving me a smile that made my mind recoil around the images from my dream. I couldn’t bare to think of what that shadow had done to him. “no more nightmares for now,”

 I smiled at the thought, and sat up, rubbing my face.

 “you okay?” He asked looking at me, worried.

 “Yeah,” I blinked a few times repeatedly. “Yeah, I'm good.”

 He eyed me dubiously. I gave a cheesy smile, which got him laughing, which was my goal. I chuckled and crawled out of bed, throwing my hair up and out of the way. Sans stepped out so I could change. I threw on sweats and a long sleeved tee, not feeling like putting too much effort into looking nice. I didn't plan on going out, and I knew that Sans wouldn't care.

 Sans was downstairs cleaning up after yesterday, grabbing stray cups and plates that we had missed earlier. I joined him, humming, letting my mind focus only on the task at hand. It was better than thinking of Sans and his father, or the new color in his soul.

 I sifted through all of the gifts that had been given to us over the course of yesterday. There was some nice soap from a monster name Woshua, Cassandra's sister, Melody, had brought over a handmade quilt for each of us, Grillby’s daughter, Cinder, had given us fire flowers, which were remarkable. They were the size and shape of tiger lilies, but vibrant flame colors, always softly glowing. She blushed when I told her how amazing they were, and she told me that they grew in Hot Land, but were rarely harvested because they grew in lava. I had asked her if they would be fine in Snowdin with us, and she assured me that they would be fine. So they now sat on the long table in the main room, giving off a soft glow.

 I was lost in thought, and cleaning, that I nearly had a heart attack when there was aggressive knocking on the door, followed by Undyne's voice. I went over to open the door and immediately knew there was something wrong, because she was on high alert, with a spear in her hand, glowing menacingly. I flinched back, and she straighten up a bit, backing up, not meaning to scare me. The last memory I had of her spear wasn’t a good one. I felt relief when I sensed Sans beside me.

 “what?” He asked urgently. “where’s papyrus?” His eyes darted around the fish woman, searching for his little brother.

 “He's fine, back at the house, with Alph and Mett.” Undyne reassured. “This about her.” She stated, pointing to me.

 “What about me?” I asked before Sans could. I took a step back from the door, nearly running into Sans, allowing Undyne to come in, while closing and locking the door behind her.

 “So, your party yesterday, well word travelled.” She said and I struggled to connect the pieces. “Word travelled all the way to the palace.” She filled in grimly.

 My eyes widened in shock, as I took a step back. The palace meant the king, and the king meant, well, visions of my dream flashed through my mind. I could sense Sans losing it beside me. I took his hand, as a reassurance, to both him and me. He wrapped his free arm around my waist.

 “we’ll hide her.” He told Undyne. “keep her hidden and safe. until he leaves.”

 Undyne rocked her head from side to side, considering the plan.

 “Could work. But he's gonna have the whole Royal Guard on her, and those dogs can find her anywhere.”

 “has he given the order to find her yet?” Sans asked, letting go of my hand, pacing the floor.

 “Not that I know, and he normally goes through me first, since most of the dogs listen to me anyways.” Undyne supplied. The dogs, the ones I had met yesterday, the ones who were so nice and enthusiastic. Could they really be hunting me?

 I went and sat on the couch, staring blankly at the lights on the tree, letting my eyes go out of focus. A thousand thoughts swirled around in my mind. The dream made its fair share of an appearance. If the king came here… then what happened in the hallway, would never happen. Sans would be safe. He'd be able to come back to his brother. I could give myself up, and allow Sans and my friends to go free. Hiding meant putting people in danger, and I couldn't stand the thought.

 “Do we even know if he's coming?” The question slipped through my lips. Their eyes flashed to mine. Sans looked furious, and Undyne, curious.

 “She right.” Undyne muttered. Sans growled at her. “He may not even be coming.” She said with little hope.

 “she's a _human,_ ” Sans sneered the word. “you _know_ what they've done. what they can do. What threat they pose to us. he's going to come for her. and he won't wait to listen.”

 Human. What they've done. A threat.

 Suddenly I was like every other human. I was suddenly grouped with the rest of the _human_ population. By someone who I thought, would never do something like that. My mind flashed back to the day I fell. Being grouped together, with people that didn't, and never would represent me. Betrayed by the one I knew the best, because of who, what I was. Despair filled my soul.

 I heard Sans curse under his breath as he knelt in front of me, calling my name, apologizing. My eyes met his, questions burning in them, sadness overriding them. Maybe a few tears escaped. I didn’t know. I had gone numb, not wanting to face what, who was in front of me.

 “Human,” I repeated softly, my lips barely moving. It was the only word that registered in my mind.

 “i didn't mean it like that,” He reached out to stroke my cheek, to brush away the silent tears, but I backed away. He pleaded my name.

 I shook my head softly, and stood pushing past him, trying to ignore the agony his soul was in. I shoved my feet in my shoes and tied them, sloppily, and headed outside.

 “Where are you going?” Undyne demanded, chasing after me. Sans didn’t. “What happened? What's going on?” She called my name pacing after me, matching my stride easily.

 “Nothing.” I said sharply, heading away from the town, away from him. I had to get away… I had to… to…

 “Are you scared? Cuz we're not gonna let anything happen to you. I swear.” She tried. I shook my head.

 “It's not that.” All Asgore could do was kill me.

 I really didn't know what _it_ was to be honest. Just the amount of malice, and hatred in his voice towards humans, towards who I was, then putting me in with them… Calling me a threat…

 I…

 It…

 Undyne took a quick stride and stopped in front of me, holding my shoulders, stopping both of us. I glared at her in defiance.

 “Let me go.” I sneered. Her grip held firm.

 “Sans is worried out of his mind about you right now, and you're walking away from him.” Apparently she was going to be my voice of reason.

 “He… Called me _human, a threat.”_ my voice recoiled around the word. “As if I were just as awful as the ones who put up the barrier. I… I never thought he'd…” I trailed off, trying to find the words to explain why it hurt so much. How did he have so much power over me?

 Undyne called my name, drawing me back to earth.

 “You know he didn't meant that way. You know that.” She said firmly, looking my in the eyes, repeating my name sternly. “He loves you. You know that.”

 She waited for a response, and right then and there, I knew, to the core of my soul, that yes he loved me. I nodded. That’s why it hurt so much. That’s how he had so much power over me.

 “I love him too.” I whispered out.

 Undyne nodded and let go of my shoulders.

 “Now let's head back, and talk this through. Asgore may be coming, and we need to make a plan.” She decided, directing my out the the humid weather and back towards the cold. I really made it far.

 “I could give myself up. Let you guys go free.” I whispered, finally voicing my opinion.

 “He'd never allow it.” Undyne said curtly. “And neither would I.”

 “I won't let him die because of me!” I nearly shrieked.

 “And you think I want to deal with him for the rest of eternity if he loses you?” She countered. “You think any of us want to look into his eyes if he lost you?”

 I couldn't think of a comeback, so I gave her a sour look.

 “I know you can't see it, because you weren't here before. But God he's changed so much. He was on his own for so long, never finding happiness in anything but his little brother, and even then that was iffy. He needs you.” Undyne insisted.

 “And that about you?” I countered. “I can't lose you either. I can't bear the thought of anyone getting hurt because of me.” I said hopelessly.

 She chuckled. “You're worrying about the wrong things, we can hold our own. All we worry about is losing you.”

 “I don't understand.” I murmured.

 “You don't have to. Just trust us. Well get you through this.”

 “I don't want to lose him.” I repeated.

 “Then how about not storming off into the unknown away from him. It's not like he knows how you feel.” She laughed.

 “...kinda does...” I said, mumbling at the ground, not really thinking about it.

 Undyne looked at me in disbelief. “No way. No fucking way!” She cackled.

 “What!?” I demanded. "Is there something wrong with him knowing how I feel all the time?"

 “No! No, it's perfect! You two… Are… Oh God!” She laughed, still not answering me. “It all makes sense now. Hey! That's it. That's perfect. Asgore can't touch you!” She began running back to the house which was now in sight.

 “Wait! Undyne! What's it!?” I yelled after her, running too.

 I was panting when I made my way into the door. Sans was there, on high alert, not paying attention to Undyne, but looking right at me.

 His soul was so dull, and lifeless. My heart ached at the sight. I also ignored Undyne and went over and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder. I felt him tense, then slowly relax, wrapping his arms around me. He was warm, and taking the chill from my skin, from being outside without a jacket for so long.

 “m’sorry,” he whispered miserably. “i didn’t mean it. ‘m so sorry _______.”

 “I know, I'm sorry too.” I whispered back. “I shouldn't have walked out like that. I'm sorry.”

 “i never meant to say it like that,” he said softly. “please don’t leave me.”

 “I won’t. Promise.”

 He pulled away and gave a small smile. His soul was less dull than before, but still wasn’t flaring like it had been.

 “Hey love birds!” Undyne called, pulling us out of our bubble. “Your problems are solved.” She said smugly, sitting on the couch. Sans eyes snapped to hers.

 “what?” He demanded. “how!?”

 “________ said you know how she feels, all the time. Right?” She looked at me and I nodded, giving an apologetic smile to Sans. I didn't know if he was okay with Undyne knowing that. He nodded, letting me know that it was okay.

 “I don't see what this has to do with our problems being solved, Undyne.” I pointed out.

 “We'll hang on, that leads to my next question. Can you see her soul?” Undyne asked Sans raising an eyebrow. Sans’ eyes narrowed, and gave a small curt nod, his hand taking mine and holding it tight. He was thinking about something, and it wasn’t good.

 “Can you see his soul?” Undyne then asked me.

 “Yes?” I frowned. I was so lost. What was Sans thinking? What did Undyne know? Why wasn’t anyone giving me a straight answer!?

 “Then Asgore can't kill either of you, without breaking sacred monster law.” She grinned.

 Seriously. A straight answer. Just once. Was it too much to ask?

 “the only law like that is the law that applies to soul mates.” Sans pointed out, giving me information I didn't know. Monsters had laws? Well, I mean, I guess they did… Huh. It still didn’t make sense.

 Undyne gestured to us, as it it were obvious. I tilted my head, and looked at her, then Sans, looking for an explanation. Then it clicked.

 “You think we're…?” I asked, understanding what she was implying, trying to wrap my head around it.

 “One hundred percent.” She grinned.

 “but no one knows anything about soulmates, except the king and queen.” Sans insisted. “there haven't been any for hundreds of years.”

 “Aaaaaand who do you think I work for?” Undyne asked, again if it were obvious.

 “The king.” I answered, in shock. I wondered how much the king told Undyne.

 “And monster law states that no one can kill either part of the paring of a soul mates.”

 “Why?” I asked, curios. I wasn’t going to complain, but…

 “because, it's like taking away someone's soul itself, half of who they are. it would lead to bloodshed, and war. no one would dare put another monster in that kind of pain.” Sans filled in.

 “Soulmates.” I repeated, still trying to grasp the concept.

 I looked at Sans. Of course it made sense. Why I couldn't shake him. Why I was always so worried about him. Why I loved him, despite knowing him barely a week. Why he loved me, and held onto me, protected me. He was my soulmate and I was his. And no one could kill him. He'd be mine, he'd be safe.

 No one would kill either of us. There would be no hallway of death. There would be no broken Sans or killer demon child. My dream would never come to pass.

 My knees suddenly went weak, and gave out from under me. Sans was there to catch me, the way he always was. He carried me to the couch, holding me in his lap, and continued to talk with Undyne while my mind slowly processed everything. Little by little, it worked through every word, every realization, every hope.

 When my mind decided that it was ready to try again, my eyes fluttered open and looked up at Sans, who was staring at the tv, not being interested. I looked around, and Undyne was no longer in view, which made me think that she had gone home, to the other three to fill them in.

 “hey there,” Sans said with a smile.

 “Hi,” I smiled and stretched my legs out.

 “feelin’ better?” He asked, allowing me to sit up, still in his lap.

 “Yeah,” I nodded. “A lot better.”

 I really did. There was no one coming to kill either of us, ever. And I had him by my side with me. I was great.

 “i understand if you don't want this…” He trailed off. “don't want me…”

 What?

 What was he saying? Did he think that I didn't want him? That I wasn't ecstatic that he was gonna be okay? And that I could call him mine, forever?

 “Sans,” I said, concerned, drawing his attention. “I want you. I want to be with you.” I reached out and pulled his chin gently so that he'd look at me. “I want this. God, I need this. And I need you.” 

“you don't have to-” He said, sounding hopeless. 

“I'm not.” I cut him off. “This is truly what I want. And you're truly who I want. Sans, I… I love you. You've given me a home and a family, and you're everything to me.” 

He looked at me, in shock and awe, then he leaned forward, and kisses me with lips that weren't there. 

The kiss wasn't like any one I had before. It was gentle and kind, and it made me lightheaded. I felt my pulse quicken, and my hands reach out to pull him closer, by wrapping my arms around his neck. He complied, and his fingers curl into my hair. His lips were soft and warm, and melded to my own, moving with them, slowly, learning. I felt my soul flare to life, responding to his touch, to his soul. It was pure bliss. It took away the last bit of my fear, and the last shred of his doubt. 

We belonged together. 

We were soulmates. 

I had to pull away from the kiss, much sooner than I wanted to, because well, it wasn’t the time or place. There were too many other things to try and figure out, and what I wanted to do with him had to wait. 

He seemed to understand this too, and just held me close, until Papyrus came through the front door. I didn’t flinch, and I wasn’t afraid, with Sans’ arms tightly around me, my head on his shoulder, I felt safe. Loved. At home. 

“FEAR NOT HUMAN!” Papyrus reassured me. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT LET ANYONE HARM YOU!! FOR YOU ARE PART OF OUR FAMILY NOW! AND A GREAT FRIEND!! ASGORE WILL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER HUMAN SOUL TO TAKE!!” Papyrus said grinning. 

Undyne, Alphys, and Mettaton all filed in while Papyrus was reassuring me. They all seemed anxious, worrying on my behalf, but Undyne was grinning at Sans and I. Alphys and Mettaton seemed to be discussing something again, debating on a topic. I could hear exactly what they were saying, but it did hold my interest. 

“whatcha talkin’ ‘bout?” Sans asked the two for me. 

“Oh, we were debating the pros and cons of my upgrade.” Mettaton purred at me, not Sans. 

“Upgrade?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

 “W-well, Mett-Mettaton has another body that w-would be more usef-ful in this s-situation.” Alphys stuttered out.

“Oh,” I said, eyeing the robot box. Then the meaning of Alphys’ words. More useful… if it came down to a fight. “I thought there wasn’t a threat anymore?” I said, suddenly worried. 

“We don’t want to take any chances darling, we couldn’t bare to lose you” The robot feigned distress. I stared at him and narrowed my eyes. 

Undyne rolled her eyes. “He just wants an excuse for Alph to speed up the building of his new suit.” She scoffed.

The robot acted offended.

They continued to bicker, and I tuned them out, laying my head back on Sans’ shoulder, and closing my eyes. I could feel his arms tighten around me, holding me closer. 

“It’s hard to deny when they sit like that.” Mettaton muttered to no one in particular. I felt a smile curl across my face. I didn’t know what the robot problem was, but this seemed to get on his nerves. 

“your soul has blue in it now, ya know that?” Sans murmured in my ear. “looks like my magic.” 

“Your soul has gold in it too.” I filled in, “In the cracks, my gold.” I whispered back. 

“hmm.” he commented, clearly trying to figure out why. 

I smelled something heavenly coming from the kitchen, and my stomach decided that I needed to see what it was. I got up from Sans’ lap, ruefully, and drifted into the kitchen, where Papyrus was making pasta. I leaned against the counter and watched him. 

“HOW ARE YOU HUMAN!?” He asked as he stirred, what looked like alfredo sauce, adding spices.

“I’m pretty okay, Paps,” I said truthfully. “How are you?”

 “I AM QUITE GREAT!” He responded. “ESPECIALLY NOW THAT I KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE OKAY!! WHICH WILL MAKE MY BROTHER OKAY!!”

 “Yeah, I guess so.” I thought aloud. “You don’t care do you? That he and I are well…” I trailed off.

 “OF COURSE NOT HUMAN!!” Papyrus reassured me. “AS LONG AS MY BROTHER IS HAPPY, I AM HAPPY TOO!”

 I smiled. It was hard not to envy the taller skeleton’s innocence, and way of thinking. I was relieved that he was okay that Sans and I were, well, together now. I didn’t want to drive a wedge between them. They were brothers, first and foremost.

 “Who taught you how to cook?” I asked Papyrus, who was now straining the pasta in a colander.

 “UNDYNE DID! SHE IS A GREAT COOK!!” He chatted happily.

 “Really?” I was shocked. I didn’t take Undyne for someone who would cook.

 “Yeah, nerd!” I heard her call from the other room. I laughed.

 Soon dinner/lunch was served, and we all sat in the main room, either on the couch, or floor, discussing what was to be done in the days to pass. Mettaton was still convinced that he needed to be upgraded, though at this point I knew that it had little, to nothing, to do with protecting me. Undyne would keep an eye on both the king and Royal Guard, to see if any decision would be made. Everything would resume as it normally would, except, we would all be on the lookout.

 In bed that night, after everyone went home, and I had a shower and was laying next to Sans, I finally got the courage to ask a burning question, that had been pushed to the back of my mind until now.

 “Were you there when the barrier was put up?” I asked, curled up on his chest.

 I could feel him tense under me, and I looked up at him, propping up on my elbow.

 “you sure you wanna talk about this? it’s late…” He trailed off. I gave him a pleading look.

 “Please?” I asked, kinda hopeless. I was shocked when he sat up, and turned on the lamp in the dresser beside us. I sat up beside him, sitting indian style.

 “yes, i was there. in the front lines.” He said, looking at his lap.

 I studied him, and waited for more. He glanced up at me, and continued:

 “the great war was fought because humans feared monster magic. some humans could wield magic like monsters could, but not all, and well, it made them afraid. not every human was good. not every monster was good.

"they pushed us back, to the mountain, and sealed us in, any monster not behind the barrier was slaughtered. so many died that day.” He paused. “when a monster dies, their soul lingers for a small amount of time, while their body turns to dust.” He gave a sad smile. “dust to dust.” He muttered.

 I reached out and took his hands, letting my thumb rub against his first metacarpal. He seemed to be in another time and place.

 “i was young, and with my father. we were the king’s most loyal, the strongest, and his right hand men. my father… he was the one who planted the idea of the war in the king’s head, twisting what the humans did, innocent harmless things, to seem like acts of treachery. i told the king of what my father was doing, but it was too late… i was too late…” He whispered.

 “Sans,” I called to him softly. “I’m so sorry.”

 He flashed a quick hopeless smile, then sighed.

 “maybe if i had caught it sooner, we wouldn’t be trapped down here.”

 “Hey,” I said softly, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “This isn’t your fault. The barrier, being trapped, it’s not your fault.”

 I could tell my words didn’t mean much to him. I couldn’t imagine carrying a weight like that. Now all of my problems seemed a little less drastic. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. I could feel his arms wrap around me, as he gripped at my shirt. I held him close, trying to understand. I frowned and pulled away.

 “So where is your dad then?” I asked, curios.

 “gone.” he seemed like he was convincing both of us. I looked to him for more information. He complied. “when we were trapped, the king asked my father to find a way out. to get through the barrier, no matter the cost. well, my father figured it out, but it had to be done with seven human souls.

"he figured out that seven human souls wielded by a monster, could tear down the barrier. that’s why the king and queen split. she couldn’t bare the thought of harming another creature, especially when the first human that fell was a child.

"she banished the king from their new home and we all ventured out into the rest of the underground. the queen lives with few monsters in the ruins still, but she hasn’t ever come past the doors.”

 “Toriel,” I whispered softly, my heart aching for her, and what she had to go through. “That still doesn’t explain what happened to your dad.” I tacked on.

 “he became the royal scientist for the king, figuring out more ways to get passed the barrier, because waiting for seven humans to fall may take forever. so he made a machine, that was supposed to cut through time and space.” He paused for a moment, trapped in a memory. I nudged him, and he recovered. “there was an accident with the machine,” He whispered. “my father got vaporized, split into individual molecules across time and space.”

 I looked at him in horror. “God, Sans, I’m so sorry.” I whispered.

 “‘s’okay. was a long time ago.” He gave a crooked smile. “the accident did give me the ability to travel through time and space in the underground though.” He said it as if it were a sick joke, and maybe it was.

 “The accident,” I concluded. “How… why…?”

 “why aren’t i also vaposized?’ He finished, raising a brow bone. I nodded. “i wasn’t as close, the blast barely hit me, but ya know, it had its effects.”

 “Papyrus?” I asked.

 “he was far away, with muffet. he was still just a kid, i didn’t want him anywhere near the king, or our father.” He winced slightly. “he didn’t need to experience that. i moved him here a while ago, desperate to get out of the palace. so we started over here.”

 I didn’t know what to say. My heart yearned for the man sitting before me, and the things he had seen. I knew why he feared, and was leery of humans now. I understood.

 “S’all gone now,” I whispered softly. “Doesn’t have to be like that again.” He gave me a sad smile, and pulled my back onto his chest, laying back.

 “still trapped.” He said curtly.

 “For now,” I murmured.

 My mind tried to picture it, Sans, standing beside Asgore, fighting against the humans. Sans was a force to be reckoned with all on his own, but beside Asgore? They seemed unstoppable. It made me shudder to think of how strong the humans were that fought against them. Another thought seemed to surface.

 “How old are you Sans?” I asked.

 He chuckled, and ran his fingers through my hair.

 “for all intents and purposes, twenty.” He said amused. I rolled my eyes at the darkness around us, for Sans had turned the lamp back off.

 “Come on, I wanna know.” I said, starting to sit up. He tightened his grip on my shoulders not letting me. I glared and pouted.

 “sure it’s not gonna creep you out?” he asked. I nodded. He seemed to debate telling me for a moment. “six-hundred and thirty-two, well three now, i guess.”

 I blinked. A silent moment passed, when I didn’t say anything, and neither did he.

 “thoughts?” He pleaded.

 “You’ve been waiting a long time for me.” I concluded. I felt him laugh.

 “you’re right, you’re getting off too easy. i should make you wait longer.” He joked. I giggled and shook my head.

 “Not fair.” I argued.

 “and why’s that?” He countered.

“I’m not immortal.”

“neither am i.” He said, raising his brow bones at me. I gave him a look. He laughed again. “fine, fine. i’ll let you off the hook.” He smiled. I smiled back, and settled hack down in his arms. “doesn’t creep you out though?” He asked, rubbing my shoulder.

“Not really. I mean, twenty is a year older than I am now, and well, everything after that…” I shrugged. “You might have gone through the years, but you didn’t grow old.” I resoluted.

“hmm.” was all he said. I looked up to him for more, but he was fast asleep.

I smiled and closed my eyes, letting myself get pulled under, drawn by the rhythm of Sans’ steady breaths.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because Asgore can't touch them doesn't mean that accidents don't happen....


	6. More Than Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have cried during this chapter because of the song 'More Than A Band' from Lemonademouth all those years ago, came on at the right part and I was having feels man. So many feels. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is like all the others, fluff, angst, and a little bit of sexual tension. 
> 
> Enjoy my lovelies. 
> 
> (also please enjoy my recap of american history.)

The night passed without a dream. Or nightmares. Which was more jarring then having either. At least then I knew what to worry about. Sans mumbled every now and again through the night, but he calmed when I moved back into his arms. At some point, our blanket had made its way to the floor, trapped on the other side of Sans, so I spent most of the night pressed against him to keep warm.

We woke up in a tangle of limbs, that made me not want to move, because for a guy with just bones he was comfortable. And if I were to be honest, I probably wouldn't have moved, except Papyrus was making breakfast for us, and well, I didn't want to make him feel bad. Sans hovered by my side for most of the morning, clearly still on edge about Asgore, or maybe he was waiting for me to run screaming about what he had told me last night, or worrying about some threat that loomed over me, a threat that I wouldn't know about until it was in front of me. At least I knew that Sans would be beside me when that moment came. I didn't know if that made me feel better or worse. Having him by my side was well, a relief and protection, but… He could also die because of being with me.

“there a reason why you're glaring at your coffee?” Sans asked, slightly joking, but I could hear the worry hidden in his voice.

“Uh… No. No I'm good. Just thinking I guess. Lot to think about now.” I supplied.

“still want me?” He questioned raising an eyebrow. I smiled and nodded, nuzzling my nose to his cheekbone, tucking myself against his side, where he was standing by the counter.

“Always and forever.” I quipped.

“forever is a long time…” He pointed out.

I smiled and shrugged. It was, but I was in no rush.

“Can we go out today?” I asked, slightly hopeful. I knew my question would be pushing his limits a little, but I could only stare at the same walls for so long.

He studied me, debating the matter. Then he surprised me and nodded.

“yeah, i can take you to waterfall, show you around there.” He said. He laughed when he saw the shock on my face. “s’where undyne lives. you'll be safe there.” He promised. I nodded.

Not that I was worried or anything…

I changed into jeans, but left my tee on. I doubted that it would be cold in Waterfall. Sans eyed me, and handed his jacket to me. I let out a laugh and shrugged it on. I quickly ran my fingers through my hair and threw it up, not wanting it to be bothersome while we explored. With my phone safely resting in my back pocket, and boots on, he and I headed out towards another part of the Underground I had yet to explore.

The humidity was both a blessing and a curse. It reminded me of home, but it also suffocated me. I was wrong though, it was still quite cool where we were, despite the moisture in the air. Sans led me by a sentry station, and across a bridge, over a waterfall. It again didn't have a railing along with being very narrow, which scared me a little; I wasn't above falling while walking on flat stable surfaces, let alone narrow bridges. All the while we were crossing, Sans kept his hands on my waist, keeping me steady. Sometimes it slipped my mind that he knew how I was feeling, all the time.

Ahead, I noticed something: another glowing golden orb. I frowned, and neared it, as I had before, and slowly reached out to touch it. My hand never made it to the golden light. Sans’ arms were around my waist pulling me away from it. A growl rumbled through his chest.

“Sans.” I complained, slightly whining. It was shiny and I wanted to touch it.

“could you not go touching random glowing things?” He half scolded. I could again, hear the worry in his voice.

“It's okay,” I reassured him, “I've done this before, it's not gonna hurt me. Promise.”

He didn't looked convinced. I rolled my eyes and extracted myself from his grasp, holding onto one of his hands still, pulling him towards the orb with me. He was right beside me as I gently reached out and let the light encompass my hand. I felt better instantly, as I had before with the other globes. Sans seemed to notice. He again, pulled me away, looking at the light, curious.  

“what is it?” He asked to mostly himself.

“Dunno. No one else seems to notice them though,” I shrugged. Toriel had elected to ignore them, and no one else seemed to touch them.

He was as still as a statue, staring at the curios, worry flaring and consuming his soul. I sighed softly and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder, following his gaze. He didn't pay any mind to my movements, for he seemed that if he were in another time and place.

“Sans,” I called softly.

He didn't answer, yet reached out and touched the orb, as I had, and jerked back as soon as the smooth bone of his fingertips barely touched the light, hissing at it. I was suddenly anxious that it had hurt him, but there was no evidence of it.

“Sans?” I asked, this time confused.

“no more touching these.” He told me, his hands crackling with magic, putting me on edge.

“Sans…?” I needed more of an explanation than that. He knew that.

“it's… it uses energy from time, to heal, and it saves memory. how you were exactly when you touched it. it stores it. a moment in time forever frozen, waiting to exist when you no longer do.” He explained.

“No longer exist?” I asked.

“there's no way we're testing it.” He stated blatantly, “but i think, that if you… die, this thing,” he gestured to the orb, “will sense that and put you right back into the timeline, as you were-”

“Exactly how I was…” I finished. I still failed to see how it was a bad thing. Couldn't it… Well save my life? In theory, I guess. “Where is it from? Why are there so many? Why can only you and I see them?” I asked him.

“the machine.” Was all he said.

Those words out things into perspective. Of why he didn't like it. Why he wanted me away from them. His father—the one Sans loathed—created the machine, to get through the barrier. He hadn't survived the explosion. And now there were these things. A residue, a side effect; just like Sans’ teleportation abilities.

“Okay, I'll stay away.” I said softly. It was his turn to look surprised.

“Really?” He was taken aback.

“Yeah, I understand. It's alright.” I gave a smile.

He smiled back and took my hand, leading me away from the time saver. The save point.

“thank you.” Was all he said.

“Why were you surprised I said okay?” I asked him as we walked along.

He chuckled. “You're the most stubborn person I've met.”

“Am not.” I pouted. He raised his brow bone. I just proved his point. “Jerk.” I muttered.

“yeah well, you love me.” He joked.

“That I do.”

We kept walking along, and with every step, I was really becoming claustrophobic. In waterfall, it really felt like a cave. It wasn’t a hundred percent terrible with Sans with me, but he was the only thing keeping me tied to sanity at that point. Everywhere else in the Underground had felt so big and open, and well not like being underground, but here…

“you’re anxious.” Of course he knew.

“Feeling… trapped.” I supplied.

He nodded and wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked over pond lilies, crossing small streams.

“i don’t like it here much either. just makes me sad.” he confessed.

We passed through a doorway, and into a room with glowing blue flowers, and a telescope. I looked up, at the twinkling stones wedged in the rock mass above, and thought it was a sick and cruel joke.

I jumped a little when a flower talked to me. Sans laughed.

“echo flowers, they repeat what they last hear.” He explained.

“Like parrots.” I thought aloud.

“uh sure.” Sans said with a crooked smile.

I knew he had no idea what a parrot was. What did he do when he was above ground all those years ago? Surely he’d know what a parrot was. I sighed. I missed birds. Heck, I missed bugs. Not the creepy roaches that would somehow make their way into my apartment despite my best efforts. I shuddered at the memory of when one had fallen on me in the middle of the night—I screamed, murder the bug brutally, changed my sheets, then took a shower, to wash off the feeling, but still didn’t let anything touch me for a while. Stupid roach. No, I didn’t miss those. I missed bees, and butterflies, and dragonflies. Wildlife in general. Everything down here was just… dead. Okay, maybe that was harsh. Lifeless?

Sans nudged my shoulder. I guess I had been staring a the wooden dock beneath us for too long without saying anything. Or maybe I missed something he said. Or maybe he was worrying. I looked at him, waiting for him to say something, but he didn’t. He wanted to, but didn’t.

“What?” I asked, prodding him.

“nothing, it can wait.” He said quickly, scolding himself.

“Sans…” I half complained.

“yeah yeah,” He chuckled. “i’ve been thinking—”

“—that’s scary,” I muttered. He let out a laugh.

“i guess i won’t tell you then,” He said, striding in front of me.

“Sans,” I whined, jogging slightly to catch up. “Tell me, please.” He took ahold of my hand, and we again walked together.

“i... i think, the best way to keep you safe, is to face asgore, head on.” he barely whispered.

This was not like him. At all. My mind ran through the possibilities, before stopping, and processing why this was so strange. The last thing Sans would want is to put me in danger, and I sure as hell know that him suggesting this, means that he was a lot more worried than he let on.

He noticed my silence.

“god, i’m sorry. you don’t have to. forget i even asked.” He rushed. I blinked and shook my head.

“Sans, I trust you, you know that.” I started. We had stopped walking. “I can’t say that it doesn’t scare me, because God there are so many things that can go wrong. I just want to know… why?” I concluded.

He took a deep breath. “i hate it so much. that you came here, and now you’re threatened at every turn. that people are literally out to kill you. i... it’s not fair. and if we can start pascifing threats…”

“Life’s not fair,” I muttered darkly. I looked up and Sans looked like he was in pain. “Sorry.” I rushed. “I think, I can handle meeting Asgore. Under peaceful terms, and if not, and it goes south, well…” I gave a small smile. “There’s no one else I’d rather die beside.”

Sans said nothing, he merely nodded. I flashed a small smile and my eyes caught something… that shouldn’t be there.

A door. It was grey, devoid of hue, and lifeless, against the deep purple and blues of the rock around us. It called to me, screaming. It did not want to be there, and it told me to help. I pushed past Sans, and neared the out of place door. It welcomed my interest. As a siren, it called me.

My fingertips brushed against the smooth cold metal of the doorknob. It responded under my touch. I hear whispered that I couldn’t make out. As if they were in a different language. One I had never heard before.

“ _Venite intrare._ ”

I didn't hear Sans calling my name. His hands passed right through me. If I were able to notice, I’d freak out. I’m sure he was, but I couldn’t find it in myself to care. I wanted to open this door. I wanted to free what was inside. It wrapped me in a warm feeling. The feeling of being home, with my family. A family that loved me. It was as if the door was my siren call.

The room was dark. As soon as I passed the threshold my eyes adjusted, and it was if the room was lit, but I knew that it wasn’t. There was a figure there. A shadow of a man, cloaked in darkness. He was where the voice, the call, was coming from.

“S _alve puer. Mea, mea, quod te non vidi in diu, diu. Talis pulchritudo, ut virtus"_  The man spoke. I had no idea what it meant. I ventured closer, wanting to know who, and what this thing, this man was.

“Who are you?” I heard myself asking. My voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard in comparison to his velvety speech. A voice that sounded faintly familiar.

“ _Gaster non sum medicus W.D._ ” I still had no idea what it meant.

As I drew near, I could make his face out. It was skeletal. Or… not really. One of his eyes was misshapen, and had a deep crack running past the forehead and around his skull. His other eyes had a crack as well, a deep gash that distorted his gruesome smile.

I yearned to touch him. I reached my hand out, and I saw him move, like ink spilled on a page. His hands were skeletal as well, but instead of metacarpals, it was solid bone, with a neat perfect circle creating a negative space in the center.

“ _C_ _ustodite mihi puerum,_ ”

My fingers were millimeters from his.

Then I heard it.

It was no longer his siren call.

It was furious.

It was gruesome.

It scared me to the core of my soul.

I fell to my knees, my sight now gone. The pitch black had returned. The darkness that should exist. If it weren’t for Sans’ bright blue magic curling around me protectively, I would have been blind. I gasped for air, shaking like a leave in a hurricane, waiting for the moment that I would be plucked off the tree, and fall. Fall to die and decay on the ground.

“ _Filius_ ,”

“ _Son.”_

 

My world went black.

I had fallen.

 

………….

 

“ _i don’t know.”_ A beautiful voice hissed. It was worried and angry. I longed to reach to the voice and tell it it was okay.

“Sans, you must let her mind protect itself.” A deep voice spoke. This voice scared me. This voice was my enemy.

“she’s been out for hours asgore. maybe… maybe i was too late…”

God, there was nothing more I wanted than to tell him I was okay. That I could hear him. That I was still alive, and I still loved him.

“No, you were not.” The enemy spoke on my behalf. I had mixed emotions about that. “Her soul is still bright and flaring. I’m sure you can sense the change in emotion at this very conversation.” Asgore chuckled. “She doesn’t seem to like me.”

“well, word travels.” Sans’ voice was curt and harsh.

There was a heavy sigh. “I suppose it does. You must know, that she is safe, for our law applies to all.”

Relief flooded through my soul. I heard Sans calling my name softly.

“i know you can hear me, can’t you?” He asked me.

_YES._ My soul screamed. I felt the shock in Sans soul.

“did... can she… can we, talk through our souls?” Sans asked. I could feel his fingers running through my hair. My head must be in his lap because i was propped up slightly, and it was warm. I knew where his soul was as well, which gave me a better idea as well.

“It is possible. I’ve never seen it done so quickly though. She must be a very strong magic user.” Asgore said. I heard a growl rumble from Sans’ chest. “I mean her no harm, Sans.” Asgore promised.

I felt the doubt in his soul. Feeling started to return to my fingertips; I could feel the dirt beneath them. I had little movement, little strength. I focused all of it on opening my eyes. Never before had it been such a struggle, but my efforts paid off. I was met with his face; rigid with worry and anxiety.

“_______ _!?”_ Sans called, cradling my head, his voice breaking.

I didn’t have the strength to speak, or even nod.

_Yes,_ my soul called softly.

Tears streaked Sans cheekbones, as he pulled me closer. Pain flared through my body. I cried out. Sans froze, and gently set me back in his lap.

He whispered my name, stroking my cheek.

“Are you going to try?’ Asgore asked. My eyes wandered to where I heard the voice, and sure enough, there was the king, every detail matching my nightmare. My soul recoiled, in fear.

“i don’t know if i can. what if i hurt her?” Sans responded. His eyes flashed back to mine when he sensed the confusion in my soul. “asgore says i can heal you, but i don’t know how…” He sounded pained.

_Trust._ My soul whispered. Sans knew what that meant. I didn’t have the strength to make the whole sentence, but I did trust him with my soul. And I believed in him.

“i…” He whispered.

_Believe._

He nodded, and placed one of his hands on my chest, above where my soul resided, and I felt his magic lap at my skin, sending electricity through my body. I could feel. It was working. I watched as Sans slowly allowed the magic from his hands to flood my body and soul, healing. His breaths were even, his soul flared with worry and anxiety.

“Sans,” I croaked. I felt my strength returning. Sans did too. Slowly, he let his magic fade, letting my body adjust and find the rest of its strength on its own.  

He repeated my name, over and over, holding me close. I struggled to sit up, and he noticed, and helped me. Spots danced in my vision at the sheer effort of holding myself upright, but they faded after thirty seconds. My head pounded, and there was a slight ringing in my ears, but this state seemed improved to both Sans and Asgore.

Asgore. Oof.

Asgore wore a purple cloak, that encompassed his being, and I could see the shining metal underneath of his armor. His hair was a silky gold color, draping over his shoulders, and flowing seamlessly into his beard. He worn no crown, but I didn’t think he had to. He wasn't trying to assert dominance or look majestic. Still, he was exactly like I had dreamt him, which was jarring. How did I know? How could my mind have gotten every detail correct, without ever meeting the king before me. I shuddered.

Except, he wasn’t as threatening this time. He was knelt beside Sans and I, looking quite worried, and scared, but of what I wasn’t exactly sure. I hoped it wasn’t me.

“Hello child.” The king spoke.

I offered a weak smile. My head was still pounding, making it hard to concentrate on much of anything. I closed my eyes and leaned back against Sans, wanting to sleep off the pain, but I didn’t get very far.

“hey, no, come on, stay awake.” Sans beckoned.

“Sans…” I whined. Why couldn’t I sleep? Was the best way to get over a headache, and I doubted they had meds down here for me to take. Water would be nice though.

“Sans is right dear one, you’ve had quite an escapade. I’m afraid you must be under watch until we are certain that you are alright.”

“What the hell…” I muttered. Sans laughed and Asgore was confused at my words. It was nice to hear Sans laugh.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Asgore confessed. Sans just shook his head. This told me that the king didn’t know of my dream. I wondered what he did know. I tried to think of everything that would count as something that should be known, but if my dream didn’t qualify, I’m not sure what did.

“Where are we?” I muttered, mainly to Sans.

“still in waterfall. undyne is on her way with paps.” He told me. I looked up at him for more of an explanation, of which he supplied. “you’ve been out for a few hours. you found… a time pocket, _that should not exist_.” He almost snarled, glaring at Asgore. “i barely got you out in time. it seemed as if your soul was being drained to fuel the pocket. you lost all your color, your clothes, your skin, your hair, everything, was just… grey.”

“But the man… he…” I struggled to remember. It was like trying to remember how to graph a logarithm while having the flu, speaking from experience. “He called you son.”

The velvet voice was as clear as a bell for that one word. The language I didn’t understand when spoken, but it was translated for me, by someone or something…

“he…” Sans sighed and stroked my hair. “it was gaster. it was my father.” He said, hopeless.

“But…?” I struggled to make sense of what he was saying. Gaster was supposed to be gone. Vaporized across all of time and space. Yet, there he was. A man, in being, luring me to my death.

“i don’t know.” I could tell from his tone, Sans did _not_ like not knowing.

I let my eyes drift shut again, the pain not getting better, actually worsening every time I spoke, or tired to think.

“asgore…” Sans demanded, knowing that I wasn’t getting better. “it was supposed to heal her.” He hissed. Oh, Sans was mad. At everything. He was not happy with this situation. I thought about if the roles were flipped… I wouldn’t be happy either. I’m not sure I would have as much restraint as Sans was showing now.

“Sans,” I croaked.

It wasn’t Asgore’s fault. Okay, well, maybe it was, but assigning blame right now wasn’t going to heal me. My blurred vision fixated on something bright and shining, and hovering a few feet from us, oblivious to Asgore.

“Sans… save p…” I rasped, staring at the golden orb. He followed my gaze, and panic flitted across his face, then understanding.

“can you stand?”

I gave him a look, he chuckled a little.

“there she is.” He murmured, cradling me in his arms and carrying me to to the golden glowing orb.

I reached my hand out, weakly. It was shaking like a leaf, but my fingers connected with the light of the save point. My strength returned, not as instantaneously as before, but fluidly, taking it’s time to heal each and every burned out cell. I blinked, and the dark spots went away. I felt strength in my bones, and muscles, no longer hanging limply around me. Sans carefully set me of my feet, his arm tight around my waist still. My migraine was gone, and I felt fine.

I looked at Sans, who was studying me intently. Affection washed over me, flooding my soul. I was alive, and he was okay, and Asgore didn’t want me dead. I took his face in my hands and stroked his cheekbones, and pressed my lips to his. He was on the exact same thought line that I was, because his fingers curled themselves into my hair, knotting them, pulling me closer. God, I didn’t care that Asgore was there, or that Gaster tried to kill me, right now, I had Sans, he had saved me, and he wanted me. So, maybe I was less prudent about being lady-like while kissing him. His lips and hands still sent sparks across my skin, making my knees weak, for an entirely different reason.

“GET SOME!” A familiar voice yelled enthusiastically.

I had to break away from Sans to laugh. I heard him laugh too. I didn’t want our kiss to end, but, well, it was hard to kiss my favorite skeleton when I was being crushed by a very enthusiastic fish woman, who had been fretting over my well being for the past few hours.

“Geez, nerd! Don’t do that!” Undyne scolded me, “You already have enough people trying to kill you, you don’t need to go and seek out danger.”

“Aw, Undyne, if I didn’t know any better, I would say that you cared about me. I dare say love me.” I grinned, as Sans’ arm made its way back around my waist.

“Psssh… no…” Undyne fumbled, turning red. I cackled.

“Awwwww Undyne,” I laughed. “You loOOOOoove me. You care about me and everything. I’m your best friend.” I teased.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She mumbled.

“I THOUGHT I WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND UNDYNE!!” Papyrus interjected. I laughed again, and so did Sans beside me.

“You can more than one best friend.” I told him.

“REALLY!?!?” The tall skeleton shrieked. I nodded, grinning.

For some reason Papyrus kept his distance from me, not giving me a hug like Undyne had. I thought that that was uncharacteristically like him. Then I felt Sans’ arm tighten around my waist, and I realized that Papyrus knew his brother better than Undyne had. Sans did not want to let go of me, and the younger skeleton was respecting that. I felt a pang of gratitude towards Papyrus. He was mature when it counted the most.

“Did you find anything?” The king asked Undyne.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. I even asked around. No one seemed to notice anything.” Undyne said.

Something dawned on me. She wasn’t giving out casual information, she was reporting to Asgore.I had been out for hours. Undyne just got back with Paps. The king was here. Of course he would have the head of his guard make sure that everything was still in order in the rest of the Underground. I shuddered.  What if it hadn’t been? I pushed the thought aside.

“Can we go home?” I asked Sans, when Undyne and Asgore began talking about changing perimeters and patrols.

“‘course. short cut?” He offered. I nodded. I may have been healed, but there was a weariness that still lingered.

I watched as Sans’ hand glided through the air before us, parting the scene, and revealing the comfort of our living room. He nodded his head to Papyrus, who stepped through the doorway before us, then Sans and I followed. I headed to the couch, and curled up in the corner of it. The door remained open, as both Asgore and Undyne stepped through. The three of them headed into the kitchen, probably to cook lunch… or dinner, I wasn’t sure what time it was.

I didn’t pay much attention to anything else but Sans. He sat on the other side of the couch and smiled. He wanted me to stretch out. Sans noticed that I curled myself into the corner of the couch, and wanted me to feel more comfortable. Of course he’d notice. Stupid caring skeleton.

Stretched out under a blanket, my head laid in his lap, my eyes drifting shut. I held both of Sans’ hands in mine, running my thumb in along his metacarpals, keeping a steady rhythm, keeping my anxiety under control.

“what did he say to you?” Sans asked, after a while.

“Dunno. Didn’t understand what language he was speaking.” I told him. “It was a pretty language though. His voice is similar to yours though.” I said absentmindedly.

Sans was quiet.

“Wait, I do remember, the only thing I knew he said, is when he called you son, after you tore me from whatever he was doing to me.” I recalled. “Can you understand him?” I asked curious.

“i can. i can’t speak his language very well, but, i understand it.” he said solemnly.

I let out a little laugh. “That sounds like the exact opposite of me when it comes to spanish.”

“you can speak more than one language?” He asked, very interested all of a sudden.

“Mhmm. Took four years of spanish in school. I don’t think I’m as good as I used to be, but I know some of it still.” I reminisced. “Why?”

I felt him shrug. ”dunno, just don’t know a lot of the trivial things about you.” He said, kinda sad.

I let out a little laugh. “I’m not that interesting.”

“i find that hard to believe.” He smiled back. I rolled my eyes and sat up, moving to sit indian style.

“I grew up in a small town, where everyone knew everyone, and they were mostly related. I lived with my mom, dad, and brother. I grew up learning that children are seen, not heard, how to be a lady. I was a dorky kid. I loved books, and fantasy worlds; I loved to draw, and play the piano. As I got older, I began to take an interest in literature, and Shakespeare. I was never popular, but I had close friends.” I sighed softly. “I moved to Ebott for college. I have an apartment, it’s just me. I always wanted a cat, but never got around to get one. My grandpa was allergic to them…”

I looked around and saw that I had an audience, all looking for more about my knowledge of the surface. I tried to think of what happened in the past… hundreds of years. Even three hundred years down here, they wouldn’t know about well… America.

“How… much do you know about what’s gone on, since you’ve been down here?” I asked, mostly Sans.

He gave a little shrug. “we know what filters it’s way down here. music, clothes, other stuff. not that we know specifics though.”

“Hmm.”

“Is there something that we should know, dear one?” Asgore asked. My skin still crawled when he spoke. Sans noticed this, and pulled me back into his arms, for his benefit or mine. Probably both.

“I don’t know… I guess I could kinda sketch a picture of what I remember from History class… Geez, it’s been years since I had to pay attention. Can I ask how long it’s been…?”

Sans glanced at Asgore, and an agreement passed between them.

“four hundred and twelve years.” Sans told me.

As I did the mental math, four pairs of eyes stayed trained on me. I began: colonies, the taxation, the rebellion in Boston, the Revolutionary war, George Washington, Democracy, the basics of the American Government, the different elections, Hamilton and the banks, Manifest Destiny, battle for power in congress, slavery, Lincoln, the Civil war, industrialization, Teddy Roosevelt, the monopolies, Women’s rights, the First World War, the Second, briefly touching on the Holocaust, the Great Depression, the Cold War, Civil Rights movement, equality, September 11th, Obama, then Trump. I also gave small tidbits of technology, and celebrities.

“Wow.” Undyne gaped. “Damn girl, that’s some memory you have there.” She grinned.

I flushed a slight red and shrugged. “I like history. Boston is amazing to go and see. It’s surreal. There are colonial homes next to skyscrapers, and it’s just…” I sighed. Sure, D.C was cool, but it wasn’t raw history. “There’s so much more too, but I don’t have all the time in the world to explain, and I don’t think that I can remember everything…”

“That is still very impressive,” Asgore commented. I offered a smile. Sans was beaming with pride beside me, pulling me closer.

“very impressive,” He whispered in my ear, which made me blush again.

“YOU SHOULD READ THE HISTORY BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY!!” Papyrus encouraged.

“Yeah, nerd! We do have human history books in the library.” Undyne grinned.

“Huh. Maybe.” I said. Considering that the monsters had little to no knowledge of what I had just told them, I pondered the accuracy of these books.

A timer went off in the kitchen, and both Papyrus and Undyne dashed into see what it was. Asgore lingered, looking at me warily. I heard Sans let out a low growl in his direction, and I tucked myself behind Sans’ shoulder, resting my head on his collar bone. Asgore gave a guilty smile.

“I must apologize, I understand that you cannot be comfortable with me here, but I do promise, I mean you absolutely no ill will. It is one of our most sacred laws. My protection as king, also extends over you.” Asgore said.

I was taken aback. I knew not killing me was a big step, but extending his protection over me? That was… well something incredible.

“Thank you,” I barely made out.

“Hey food’s ready!” Undyne called from the kitchen.

“I believe that is my signal to take leave.” Asgore said glumly.

“No, please, stay for dinner,” I offered, giving a warm smile. “It’s the least we can do,”

Again, Asgore looked to Sans for permission this time, and it annoyed me slightly. Even if Sans said no, I wanted Asgore here, and I gave the invitation, so he’d have to get over it.

_Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?_

Sans voice was as clear as a bell in my mind, but it was off somehow. His jaw didn’t move to say the words, nor did Asgore respond to the comment. Sans’ voice seemed purer when it was in my mind, not as tired, and smoother, like it was a true reflection of what he should sound like, rather than the poor imitation that others heard.

_You heard that?_ I asked, doing what I had before, when I was mostly dead.

He gave a curt nod, answering both me and Asgore. Huh. Well that was new. I wondered if he could hear all of my thoughts all the time? Or only the ones that were linked to strong emotions, or when I wanted him to. Maybe it was like talking in our own language that no one else ever had access too.

Dinner was a quiet affair, everyone but Sans asking more about different bits of history that didn’t seemed to fit, or dates here and there. I was positive about most of it, but could only give estimates with most of the dates; they were never my strong suit. Everything had calmed down, until I introduced Undyne to fandoms…

“WAIT! So your saying there there is this guy, who’s practically immortal, travelling through time and space with random chicks in a box, that’s bigger on the inside?”

“Uh… sure. That’s not all of it, but yeah.” I concluded. I feared to introduce her to Sherlock, or heaven forbid, Supernatural. I shivered at the thought.

“Dude, we gotta tell Alphys. Maybe there’s a dvd somewhere…” Undyne began planning.

“Uh, yep, great.”

“what’s wrong?” Sans murmured in my ear.

“There’s ten seasons, of about twenty episodes, all about an hour long.” I whispered back, and watched Sans do the mental math.

“damn.”

“Yeahp.” I yawned and leaned against Sans.

“tired?” He asked. I nodded, though I doubted either of us would sleep tonight.

“Guys!” Undyne called, rather annoyed. “Did you even hear my question?”

Sans shrugged, and I gave an impish smile. Undyne rolled her eye.

“Do you mind if I crash here tonight?” She asked again. Part of me wanted to believe that she wanted to stay to hang with Papyrus, but the better part of me knew that it was because she was anxious about something happening here under her watch.

“Uh, I don’t care… Sans?” I asked, looking at him. He shrugged. “Yeah, sure, Undyne.”

I smiled to myself. They looked to me for answers about the household, despite the short amount of time. They didn’t make me feel ostrichsized, or a burden, yet, they treated me like I belonged, but had been away for awhile, and now that I was here, it was like I was home. I had never felt like this, even in my own home, with my own family, growing up. I never had an opinion that was considered, or wanted. I was told what to do, and I did what I was told. Here, though, it was nothing like that. I could be and do what I wanted.

After dinner, Asgore left, saying he had some kingly matters to deal with. I let the excuse slide. I knew that he didn’t feel comfortable with me, or the fact that I was already a well-fitting part of this little family.

The four of us said our goodbyes to Asgore, and drifted to the family room, Undyne putting the tv on a channel with Mettaton on it. I laughed. It was some cooking show, and the boxy robot was in a pink frilly apron and a chef’s hat. Sans was grinning beside me, but Paps and Undyne were oblivious.

Curled up under a blanket, pressed against Sans, I started sketching in my book. I found my pencil tracing out the features of Gaster. I let my mind fall into a haze, remembering all that I could, and every detail that I could pinpoint. I felt Sans watching from over my shoulder, so I leaned in closer to him. He wrapped his arm around me tighter, and continued to watch.

“You saw our father,”

My head jerked up, looking at Papyrus, the one who had spoken. I didn’t know that he could speak in a way that wasn’t loud or off. His eyes had lost their childhood innocence, and now were weighted with things and memories of the past.

I nodded, and handed him the sketchbook, hugging my knees. Sans’ arms were around me, rubbing gentle rhythmic paths across my arms, calming me.

“How is he back Sans?” Papyrus looked at his brother, worried, and afraid.

“i don’t know.” Sans gritted out, his voice hard, and cold.

Papyrus nodded, and looked back to me, offering my sketchbook back. “We will keep you safe.” He vowed. I nodded, tears pricking my eyes. I had barely begun to know these people, and here they were promising to protect me from the monsters that lurked in the dark.

“Trust us, no one’s gonna touch you.” Undyne affirmed, looking up from the tv screen. All I could do was nod, biting back tears.

“you’re mine. no one’s gonna take you away from me.” Sans whispered in my ear, softly, reassuringly.

I closed my eyes, and buried my face in his shoulder, the few tears I was trying to hold back escaping quietly. He didn’t say anything, he only pulled the blanket I was under around my shoulders, and rubbed my back soothingly. I silently let my tears run down my cheeks, taking deep and calming breaths, trying to keep the hysterics away. My hands curled themselves into Sans’ shirt, the fabric protecting my palms from my piercing nails. I focused on him, keeping the heart-breaking thoughts at bay. The way he was rubbing my back: up, down, up, down: _one, two three four,_ I counted, again and again, until I had a handle on my anxiety.

I moved my head, so that it was just resting on his shoulder, no longer hiding my face. I also shifted my position, curling my legs under me, keeping close to Sans’ warmth. The blanket was draped over both of us, and Sans continued to hold me, not saying a word, his soul filled with anxiety, and worry, yet they were muted feelings. He was calm, peaceful. Part of me wondered how. I thought that he’d be more freaked out than I was, yet here he was, calm and gentle.

I let out a slow breath, and allowed myself to also be calm. Right now there was nothing to do but enjoy that I was surrounded by people who were my family.

My eyes drifted shut, and my mind shut down from exhaustion. Of course, I had a dream; a nightmare, about the man in the dark.

 

“ _There you are my beauty.”_ The man called. Oh sure, now I could understand him. Peachy.

“What do you want?” I spat at him. We were in the same room as before, but this time I knew that there was no Sans to come and save me. I’d have to hold my own.

_“Freedom.”_ Gaster hissed. “ _From this wretched barrier._ ”

“Well, it’s nice to want things, but I don’t see how this applies to me.” I snarked, folding my arms across my chest.

_“FOOL!”_ His voice shook the room, and I shied away. _“YOU are the seventh soul we_ need.” The inky form gritted.

“You can’t. My soul is—”

“— _you’re a fool to think that that silly insignificant law will stop me. Nothing will stop me from my freedom.”_

“You’re the reason they’re trapped!” I yelled at him. “You were so hell bent on war and now you can’t deal that there are consequences like a _spoiled child_.” I hissed.

Gaster’s form grew larger in front of me, but I didn’t back down. I wasn’t going to back down. Fury flooded through me.

“Look what you’ve done to your _sons!”_ I screamed at the mass. “Look what you did to Sans. _My Sans.”_ I growled. The light of my magic filled the room, pushing back the darkness. “And you have the _nerve_ to come here blaming me?” I snarled. “ _Get out of my head you son of a bitch.”_

The darkness was gone. Gaster was gone.

My eyes flew open, and I gasped. Sans, who was sleeping beside me, was awake with a start. He immediately read the fury and hatred in my soul, and looked at me worried, magic crackling over his skin. I sat up as he asked:

“what?” It was barely a hiss.

My skin was glowing along with his, my anger fueling the golden flames.

“Your _father,_ ” I sneered the word. “Decided to visit me. He wants my soul to take down the barrier.” I said, almost disgusted. Sans growled beside me.

“ _no.”_ He hissed, his anger now matched mine.

“Don’t worry. He got the message.” I chuckled darkly.

Suddenly Sans hands were on my arms, as he looked me over, making sure I was okay. Other than the magic that licked at my skin, I was unhurt. Once he realized his, he physically looked relieved. I closed my eyes and balled my hands into fists.

“The nerve…” I muttered, my anger not pacified.

“he won’t hurt you.” Sans said, determined.

“Oh, trust me, he knows exactly what I can do. He won’t try that again.”

Sans looked at me strangely.

“What?” I demanded, slightly snapping. He looked a little hurt, so i gave a hopeless apologetic smile.

“you. you’re normally so… self-sacrificing. what made you stand up against him?” He asked. I saw where his confusion came from.

“You,” I whispered. “I stood up for you.”

He looked at me in shock, then he was suddenly kissing me. It wasn’t like any way he had kissed me before. This was rough, and passionate that made me putty in his hands. I wrapped my arms around him, and moved into his lap, kissing him back with the same passion, letting my anger out through my lips.

He was more than happy to accept the roughness I offered back. His hands were in my hair, until one snaked down to the small of my back, and pulled me to him. I pulled away ever so slightly, to catch my breath, but he wasn’t having that. He demanded my lips back, his warm breath now hot against mine. My hands gripped at his shirt, needing him closer.

Sans let my lips go, and pushed me onto my back, and quickly slid his shirt off, it landing on the floor somewhere, then his lips were on mine again. My fingers traced over his spine and ribs, his invisible skin being gone. I would have wanted to demand an answer about it, if I didn’t hear a low moan coming from Sans’ chest as I let my hands explore.

That sound made every thought that wasn’t on how his lips felt against mine, or how his hands felt at my waist, disappear. I mewled back at him, which spurred him on further. His tongue demanded dominance against mine, which I gave without a second thought. His hands slipped under my shirt, and I shuddered at the warmth of his fingers against my cool skin. I blinked, and my shirt was off, and on the floor. I didn’t care how it happened. I really didn’t. I was too encompassed at how affectionately and so in love Sans looked at me, as he drew his lips from mine to look at me. I panted softly and closed my eyes.

My name came softly through my mind, with so much affection, I thought that my heart would burst. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw a smiling, loving skeleton in front of me. His soul was a burning blaze of love and affection and want. I’m sure my soul replicated his.

“i love you,” He whispered out. I felt tears prick my eyes.

“God, Sans, there’s no one I’ve loved as much as I love you.” I confessed.

I felt his hands knot themselves into my hair again, as his lips again, pressed against mine, no longer as rough, but still as passionate. I breathed his name, and he mine. He pulled away, and asked the burning question I was trying to answer myself.

“do you want this? do you want to keep going?”

There were a million reasons to say both yes and no, because, God, I did want him, but I didn’t know if I was ready, but it would be so easy to give in and say yes. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say no. I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to lose this; him, being here and close, no walls, just pure. I didn’t want this to leave. It was too much to miss.

I heard him chuckle, as he kissed my jaw and neck while I thought.

“Hmm?” I asked, really not trusting my voice.

“i’ll always be here for this, for you. if you want to wait, we can.” He kissed the base of my neck, which made me not want to wait. “no rush,”

I nodded. I could wait. I would wait, until I was ready. Until I could sleep through the night without worrying about the monsters in the night. I would have Sans all the while, waiting for my yes. I could wait.

He smiled and pressed his lips to mine, following my train of thought quite literally, and helped me off of my back, and into a sitting position. He held me in his lap, and I leaned against him, my head returning to its spot on his shoulder, which now had its warm soft skin back.

“are you okay?” He asked. “i know everything seems to be coming at you because of me.”

I frowned. “It’s not because of you.” I said. “If it weren’t for you I’d be dead.” I pointed out.

“but i keep putting you in danger, between asgore and gaster…”

“Sans,” I said sternly, pulling his chin softly to look at me. “Danger will find me whether you’re here or not. I still would have had to face Asgore, alone, and Gaster, alone. Even Undyne, or the dogs in the forest, every threat alone. But I didn’t face them alone. I had you. And I wouldn’t trade that, I wouldn’t trade you, for anyone or anything.” I whispered, kissing him softly. “Nothing is worth what you are to me.”

He stared at me and nodded. I offered a smile and ran my fingers over the smoothness of his skull, nuzzling closer to him.

“i still don’t like you in any kind of danger.” He whispered. I smiled.

“The feeling is mutual.” I stretched in his arms, and exhaled slowly. “I need a shower.” I decided.

“want help?” Sans smirked. I narrowed my eyes at him, the word yes on the tip of my tongue. My eyes widened when a thought crossed my mind.

“Damn it!” I hissed.

“what?” Sans asked urgently. I laughed.

“I can’t say yes because Undyne is here, and knowing her I will never hear the end of that.” I groaned and laid back on the bed, “Damn her.” I muttered.

Sans was shaking with laughter beside me. “guess you’ll just have to wait.” He chuckled. I glared at him. I jumped out of bed quickly, grabbing a towel, and slipping Sans’ shirt on.

“I’m leaving before I change my mind and decide I don’t care.” I quipped, going across the hall to the bathroom.

Like all other showers, the warm water helped soothe my aching bones. It gave me space to think. God, to think of what would have happened if I had said yes. I huffed and forfeited the hot water for cold water. The way Sans was with me, the way he held me, and kissed me, it was like nothing I ever had before. No one ever made me feel that much so quickly. Never had I ever possessed a strong powerful relationship like this one.

I raked soap through my hair, imagining what it would be like if Sans was here with me, but quickly shoved the thought out when I heard his faint laugh in my mind.

_Get out._ I hissed.

I didn’t get an answer. I huffed, and finished the shower, too annoyed to really take much more time than I had to. Cursing Sans in every way I knew, I grinned evilly at the mirror, and decided something to get back at him. I left the sweatpants and white tee on the counter, and slipped on clean underwear, and Sans’ shirt back over my hand, before brushing my hair, then running my fingers through it to separate the strands, letting it fall over my shoulders. I brushed my teeth and headed back to our room.

Sans was laying in bed, a smug look on his face until he saw my outfit, or lack thereof. I smiled innocently, and crawled into bed beside him, returning to my normal position on his chest, tucked against his side.

“damn you.” He muttered. I bit back a smile.

“Problem?” I asked innocently. “I just figured I wouldn’t need such warm clothes, since I have you too keep me warm.” I said, nuzzling my cheek to his chest.

He was silent, and I laughed, victorious. At least I thought I was, but Sans was not having it. I blinked, and suddenly Sans was on top of me, his lips pressed against mine, rough and needy, and not taking no for an answer. I mewled out of surprise, then allowed him to do as he wanted, wrapping my arms around him.

But he wasn’t having that either. One of his hands grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them above my head as he kissed me deeper. I struggled to get free, but he was too strong, so I stopped trying and focused on kissing him. I moaned when his tongue captured mine and sucked on it. I heard a chuckle rumble from his chest, and his lips left mine, but not my skin. I was a panting mess of a human as Sans kissed down my jaw, neck and shoulder. I moaned when he traced his tongue against my collar bone.

Screw waiting. I wanted him.

Suddenly my wrists were released, and Sans was gone from on top of me. He was again laying beside me, calm and content, a smile playing at his lips. Fury burned through me when I realized what he had done.

“Screw you,” I hissed, trying to get my heart rate back down to something normal.

He laughed and looked at me. “just making sure you were hot enough. wouldn’t want you getting cold now would we?” He smirked.

“Oh, I hate you.” I whispered, folding my arms and moving away from him. Damn it, it was cold.

“no you don’t. now come back here before you freeze.” His voice was now gently and caring, thawing my anger. I sighed, and curled up on his side, pressing all the way against him, tucking my legs against his.

“I hate you,” I muttered half-heartedly.

“no you don’t. get some sleep.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “i’ll be here in the morning.”

I nodded and whispered: “I love you, Sans.”

“i know you do. i love you too.”

And with that, we both drifted to blissful sleep.

  
  
  
  


 


	7. There Ain't No Me If There Ain't No You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovlies.   
> So sorry this chapter took so long. School started, and that meant college classes. So now that my schedule is settled, and I no longer have a pervy math teacher, I finally got around to finishing this up. I still love you guys and will be writing. Always. 
> 
> Enjoy. 
> 
> I love you guys from the bottom of my heart.
> 
> Love, Momma Marri

I dreamed. It wasn’t a nightmare, or the normal dreams. No, it was Sans. God, it was Sans if I had said yes. I knew that I should wake up and stop the dream where it was, but I… I wanted it. To see how it would play out. To even dream of what it would be like to be held by someone who loved me truly. I watched, as it played out, knowing it wasn’t real, but enjoying the moment anyway.

There was no way I’d be able to even look at Sans in the morning without blushing, but I couldn’t find it in myself to care. The way he caressed my name, and made me come undone at the seams, I didn’t care one bit.

Like every other dream, this one ended too, and I found myself burning up, my skin like an open flame. I groaned and laid back in bed, away from Sans, to cool off, but it wasn’t working; I was still hot. I sighed and got up carefully, tugging on Sans’ blue hoodie, and going out to the balcony, hoping that the cool air would pacify my fever.

The night was cold, like I hoped, and it did help. I took a deep breath and went to lean against the railing, looking out at the vast nothingness beyond. Oh, how I missed the stars, the moon, and the sun. Things I had taken for granted. Sure, down here, there was somehow night and day, but it would never be the same. I wondered if Sans missed the celestial bodies like I did. Maybe he didn’t as much anymore, since it has been so long since he had seen them. I sighed, again. There was nothing I wanted more than to get Sans out of the Underground. 

I heard my name being called in a panic from inside. I called back to Sans, and suddenly he was beside me, using a different doorway that wasn’t the sliders.

“Hey, hey,” I called softly, reaching out to him. “It’s okay. I’m right here.” 

Sans rubbed his face and I wrapped him up in my arms. 

“sorry.” He muttered. “you were just gone, and i didn’t know where, and with gaster being out there i…” He explained.

“Oh, Sans, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that. I just needed some cool air.” I consoled, rubbing his back softly. He still didn’t have a shirt from earlier, but my fingers didn’t run across his bare bones as they had before. I pressed a soft kiss to his temple. His warm body against my chilled skin felt amazing. The heat from my dream had faded and now I was actually getting cold, barefoot in the snow. 

He smiled and lead me inside, back to bed. I left his jacket in a heap by the door, and crawled back into bed with him, curling up at his side. 

“why’d you need air?” He asked, rubbing my shoulder. 

“Was too hot,” 

He chuckled. “can’t disagree there, but i don’t think being cold will help with you being hot.” I could see his cheesy grin, even with my eyes closed. 

“Har har.” I commented. 

“you’re hotness aside, what made you need cold air?” He asked. My cheeks flushed red, invisible in the night.

“Had a dream.” I prayed that that would be enough of an explanation.

Of course it wasn’t. I felt Sans’ grip on me tighten.

“nightmare?” He asked. I shook my head, really not wanting to explain. “then what?” He pressed. I hid my face in his shoulder. He started getting worried and anxious. He called my name, demanding an answer. 

“It was you. And me. If I had said yes.” Was all I got out. He pieced it together in a matter of seconds.

“oh.” A chuckle rumbled through him I scowled at him in the darkness. His fingers combed through my hair, appeasing me. “don’t have to be ashamed.”

“Guess not…” I reasoned. “Still, I’ve never…” I felt the smirk returning to his face. “Ya know, if you’re not gonna take this seriously, I’m not gonna talk.” I snapped. 

“sorry.” Sans mumbled. He sighed softly and rubbed my arm. 

“Sokay.” I forgave him. “Guess it’s just me being human.” 

“me too,” I could hear the smile in his voice, but there was something not right about that. 

“What do you mean you too?” I asked, sitting up alarmed. He chuckled and sat up with me, stroking my cheek softly. 

“you’ve met my father, he’s skeletal, no?” Sans asked. I nodded. “and yet, paps and i are not like him. we’re more…” 

“Human.” I finished. He gave me a crooked smile that made my heart ache. “But how...?”

“my mother.” 

I was taken aback. Well of course he had a mother, I just never thought that she’d be, well, human.

“Your mother was human.” I said aloud, making sure what I had thought was the truth. 

“she was. elizabeth margaret.” He looked down, crestfallen. I reached out and stroked his cheekbone softly.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered softly. 

“sokay. was a long time ago anyway.” 

“Still, she was your mother.” I gave a smile. “I guess that explains the whole invisible skin thing.” I pieced together. 

“what?” Sans asked, looking at me as if I were crazy. I laughed and took his hand.

“You’re hands are like mine, acting as if skin and muscles were there, but yet, all I see is bone. It’s everywhere except your face really, well I mean, you kiss me, so lips obviously exist, but I can always feel the smoothness of your cheekbones. And well… earlier it was gone.” I admitted, biting back a smile. 

“you’re very observant.” He commented, pulling me into his arms. 

“Just curious, and I have spent every day for the past week or so with you, so I was bound to notice. ‘Specially when we spend so much time always touching.”  He nodded and spoke:

“it’s called a glamor. at least that’s what gaster called it. its kinda like what your skin is, but less biology and more magic.” He explained. 

“Hmm.” I said, making sense of his words. “Why did it drop earlier then?” I asked. “When we were… you know…” I trailed off. He chuckled.

“it’s taken practice, but i can control when it’s up or down. and being like that with you… the last thing i needed was the protection from it.”

“Protection?” I asked. He nodded. 

“your skin is an organ, a layer of defense against the outer world and stuff, keeping bacteria out, human stuff. well, my glamor is more for protection against magic, little bit of monster, little bit of human.” He said. 

“But Paps?” I asked. He was always just bone.

“he doesn’t like using his glamor. it makes him a lot more threatening, and he doesn’t want to seem that way to anyone, so he keeps it down.” 

“Oh,” I said, my mind reeling, soaking up the information. 

“mhmm.” 

“That’s so cool.” I whispered. This time Sans did laugh.”What?” I demanded. 

“you!” He insisted. “you seem to not have a natural human response to anything. you take everything in stride. it’s... it’s remarkable.” He seemed impressed. 

“Are you waiting for me to run away screaming?” I asked, joking. 

“little bit.” He admitted. This time I laughed. 

“Sans, you don’t understand how amazing meeting all of you, and learning about you has been for me. All my life I never felt as if I belonged, that I should be in some fantasy world where magic and true love existed, and now look at me. I learned that I have both, and they’re one hundred percent mine. How could I want to run away from that?” I asked earnestly. 

“guess i never saw it that way.” He admitted. I smiled. 

“Since the moment I met you, it’s been everything I ever wanted as a scared little girl. Sans, you’re  _ so _ precious to me. I’d  _ never _ want to run from you.” I whispered. I pressed my lip to his in a soft kiss before whispering. “All the crap and hell I’ve been through, I’d take it all again if it meant ending up beside you.” 

Sans reached out and held either side of my face, running his thumbs over my cheeks. He whispered my name softly, his voice hoarse. I smiled and leaned into his touch, letting a few tears escape as I closed my eyes. 

“And I promise,” I whispered. “I will find a way to get you out of here.” I vowed.

He gave a small nod, and pulled my into his arms, and we both laid in bed, thinking about what we had told another, until we finally fell asleep in each others arms, our souls glowing softly, reaching out for another.  

In the morning, too early in the morning, there was a pounding on our bedroom door that made me wake with a start, a scream caught in my throat. Sans was as alert as I was, but not as scared, more furious. 

“GUYS WE HAVE A PROBLEM!” Undyne called from the other side of the door. I let out a strangled gasp, instinctively moving closer to Sans, and slightly behind him. His arms were around me, his body in front of me, as a shield. 

“ _ what, undyne?”  _ Sans hissed, a growl growing in his chest. Undyne opened the door, and looked as on edge as we were. 

“Alphys called. She was upgrading Mettaton, and something went wrong.” She explained. 

“what?” Sans demanded again, I shrank behind him, pressing myself to him, trying not to let fear consume me. Couldn’t I have one day when nothing went wrong? Just one? I hid my face in Sans’ shoulder. 

“The programming went haywire, Alphy doesn’t know why—”

“— _ undyne.”  _ Sans growled; his grip tightened on me. 

“Mettaton installed anti-human combat features to his hard drive.” Undyne said as calmly as she could. 

I could feel Sans losing it next to me. Apparently I couldn’t go a day without someone trying to kill me. My hands curled themselves around his waist; whether it was to restain him, or hold him to me, I wasn’t sure.

“what in  _ the hell was she thinking?”  _ Sans snarled. “she should  _ know  _ that that should not have ever been an  _ idea _ .” 

“Asgore asked her to,” Undyne said, defending Alphys, but saying the wrong thing to try and appease Sans. Magic started licking at his skin, and pooling at his hands. Growls ripped through his chest. He was so close to losing it. In fact, I was sure that if I wasn’t holding him to me, he already would have. 

“Undyne, go.” I choked out, and an agreement passed between us. We would both try to sort this out, one half at a time. 

Sans hissed my name, and as soon as Undyne was out of the room, and the door was closed, I moved into Sans’ lap. His eye was glowing a dangerous blue, and snarls still radiated from him. He wouldn’t meet my gaze, and his hands were rigged at his side. 

I took his face in my hands, my skin buzzing with the feeling of the magic coming off of him. It wasn’t pleasant. It burned under my fingers, like the feeling of a sunburn.

“Sans.” I called to him, worried, panicked. “Sans please, please look at me,” I whispered the plea. “Sans  _ please _ .” I begged, my voice breaking. I could feel my hysterics starting to slip through the cracks. I didn’t like him like this. It threw my already crumbling calmness into an abyss.

“i’m going to kill him.” He muttered. “he’ll be nothing but scraps.” 

I ran my hands down his neck and shoulders, then back up to hold his face in one last attempt to get him to look at me. His skin was scalding mine. I couldn’t bare the words coming from his lips. They were supposed to be gentle and kind, and awful puns. Not… this.

“ _ Sans,” _ I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “ _ Please Sans, I need you right now. Please.”  _ My soul called to him as my voice did.

His eyes snapped to mine, a harsh cold, dead stare, that melted into shock, fear, and guilt-ridden. I saw his anger melt. His arms were suddenly around me, pulling me to him as he tucked my into his arms, holding me protectively. I pressed my face to his collar bone and let my hysterics go, sobbing into his shoulder, shaking. Touching him no longer burned. 

He apologized over and over, stroking my hair, my arms, my back. Anything to help me get a handle on a safe feeling. I gasped and balled my hands into fists, my nails digging into my palms. I didn’t notice the pain, I never did. I clung to Sans, my arms shaking with the effort. He was no longer on edge as he once had been. His attention was on me now. Anything he could do to get me to calm down. 

I screamed when there was another knock on the door, and hid my face in Sans’ shoulder, curling up small, hiding. I felt a blanket get draped over me, and Sans’ arms return to being around me. 

There was a short conversation between Sans, and whoever was at the door, then there was nothing, for a long while. Sans had stopped speaking, and rocked me gently. After some time I began to recognize he was humming softly, a melody I knew and loved. His voice came to both my ears and mind, the purer of the two enrapturing my soul.

I sucked in deep shaky breaths through my teeth, still shaking, but no longer crying. His song, my song, continued, until he switched melodies and fell into another calming theme. I closed my eyes and forced the rest of the anxiety and panic out. I slowly opened my eyes, afraid to look up at Sans, carefully loosening my arms from around him, and declawing my nails from my palms. They were slick, and it wasn’t sweat.

“Damn it.” I muttered, and looked at my now slightly bleeding hands over Sans’ shoulder. I sighed and rested my forehead on his collar bone. 

He called my name softly. I still didn’t want to look up to face him. He called my name again, pleading, and I gave in. Looking up, I saw his face, rigid and filled with worry and guilt.

“i’m sorry.” He whispered. “i’m so, so sorry,” He reached out and stroked my cheek, catching a few stray tears. I nodded. I forgave him. He wrapped me up in a warm hug, no longer clinging or holding me possessively, just hugging me for the comfort. 

I hugged him back, then cursed at the stinging pain in my palms. He looked at me worried, and I took my arms from around him and slowly opened my palms, showing him the four red crescent shaped gashes that adorned each of my hands. He gave a sad smile, and pressed a kiss to my forehead, taking my hands into his, no matter how much I protested, or pulled my hands back. His gaze stayed trained on mine, as slowly, I felt the spark of his magic run over my hands and I flinched, until I realized that the stinging pain of the shallow cuts faded to nothing. 

Tears pricked my eyes and I wrapped my arms around his neck, crying because I was happy, and because I loved him, and because he was there for me. 

“it’s gonna be okay, i’m here.” Sans whispered softly. “let’s get you into some clean clothes and get you some food.” He smiled. 

“But… Mettaton…” I whispered. 

He smiled and shook his head. “he’s not gonna touch you here. literally the entire royal guard are all out for him. paps patrolling snowdin now.” 

I nodded and rubbed my face. Sans was still holding me and I felt safer.

“Okay.” Was all I said.

“do you want a shower?” He asked, and I nodded. 

Until I realized that a shower meant leaving him. I quickly shook my head, and Sans ran his fingers through my hair.

“i won’t leave you.” He said. “you want me there with you?” He asking, picking up on my quick change of decision. I nodded hopelessly. It wasn’t just that I wanted him there; it was that I needed him there.

Sans stood, with me still in his arms, and gently set me on my feet, then busied himself with grabbing both towels and clothes for us. I watched him, staring blankly, going numb. 

“hey, now.” Sans called softly. “come on.” I knew he could feel me shutting down as we made our way to the bathroom.

I continued to watch as he started the warm water for us, after closing the door behind us. Then he turned to me, still worry on his face. His hands made their way to my waist, and carefully pulled his shirt that I was wearing, over my head, and onto the floor. 

I closed my eyes, and took a breath, waiting for him to continue stripping me, but he didn’t. Instead I heard the shower curtain rattle and shift. I opened my eyes, and Sans was waiting for me, his hand out reached. My numb mind barely noted his state of undress, as my hands slipped my underwear off from sheer muscle memory.

Taking his hand, I allowed him to guide me into the warm water. I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his shoulder, allowing the warm water on my back to do its job. I could feel his hands comb through my hair letting the water soak and matte it against my neck and shoulders. I leaned my head up towards the stream of water and ran my hands once through my hair quickly, to make sure all of the strays were with the rest of my darkened hair. 

I could feel Sans’ eyes on me, watching, and I smiled, and opened my eyes to look at him. He was smiling to. 

“And to think, last night this shower could have been something entirely different.” I murmured reaching for the shampoo. I heard him chuckle, and his hands were on my waist, his warmth making my sensitive skin crawl. The numbness was fading and the nerves were setting in. 

“don’t need to be nervous.” He consoled. I let out a laugh. 

“Yes because taking a shower with someone who was about to get lucky with her last night is no reason to be nervous at all.” I drawled. He chuckled. 

“was that close?” He smirked. 

“Extremely.” I grinned. He seemed smug, and I rolled my eyes, starting to comb conditioner through my hair. I hummed softly and closed my eyes as I rinsed the silky soap from my hair. Sans handed me a loofah with soap already on it, and I began to work it against my skin, washing away the sweat and fear from my pores.

All the while, I knew that Sans was watching me intently, and his soul told me that he wished it were his hands cleansing me, not mine. I chuckled softly and rinsed the loofah. 

_ Touch me, _ I whispered to his soul softly, giving him permission. 

_ are you sure?  _ His velvet voice came clear to my mind.

_ Completely.  _ I promised. 

I felt his hands make their way to my waist again, pulling me closer. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and pressed my lips to his, kissing him soft and slow. He anchored me to the ground as we kissed, our tongues welcoming another, neither fighting for dominance. His hands trailed up my side, making me shudder at the feeling. I could feel his lips curl into a smile against mine, and I returned the smile.

His hands tangled into my wet silky hair, and the nature of out kiss changed, suddenly a lot more urgent. This time his tongue did fight for dominance, to which i fought back against, until one of his hands slid back down my side and held my hip, pressing his thumb against my hip bone, where it was sensitive, and I felt the tingle of his magic trail against my skin. I gasped, and he took the opportunity to claim the upper hand in our kiss, but I was determined to keep fighting.

Testing my theory, I ran my hands over his back, my fingers lingering on each individual rib, now that his glamour was gone. I let my golden flame lick at my skin as they passed over each smooth bone, and I heard Sans hiss. I let out a laugh, victorious. 

Sans, like last night, did not let me remain the victor. No, his hand that was still in my hair ran across the center of my chest, glowing with magic, awakening every delicate little nerve. The edges of his fingers barely caressed the sides of my breasts, and it was still, nothing like I had ever felt. It was so much more intense with magic. I moaned into his mouth and he grinned against my lips. 

At this point, I knew that I was fighting a losing battle, and let him do what he wanted with me, as I held onto him. His lips left mine, following the same path that they had the night before, down my jaw and neck, this time harsher, as I felt his teeth graze my skin. I was a panting mess of a human again, mewling out his name. 

The water against my back was no longer warm; it ran cold, but that wasn’t a problem. Sans was burning hot against me, making the cold water almost necessary. I let out a small scream when his teeth nipped at my collar bone, my fingers curling themselves around his ribs, trying to stay standing. 

I heard him chuckle as he did it again, and I leaned my head on his collarbone, panting. 

“Sans…” I mostly moaned. If he kept this up, there was no way that my feet were going to continue to support me. He smiled against my skin.

“yes?” He asked smugly. I couldn’t find it in myself to be annoyed. 

“Cold.” I made out. The water instantly shut off, though Sans’ hands never left my sides. We stood there dripping and panting, neither of us wanting to move, or have this stop. 

Knocks on doors would be the absolute bane of my existence.

“What!?” I snapped at the door. Sans chuckled, still kissing my neck, no doubt working a bruise into my skin.

“Just checking on y’all.” Undyne quipped. You noticed she had said ‘y’all.’ Damn it. She knew that Sans was in there with you. “You two have fun!” She called, her footsteps retreating. 

“I’m going to murder her.” I muttered grabbing a towel, and handing one to Sans. 

He chuckled and started drying off. “not if i get to her first.” 

I grinned and wrapped my arms around him again, pulling him into another kiss. He was more than happy to oblige, our towels falling to the floor as our hands became otherwise occupied. These kisses didn’t go as far as the ones prior, but it did hinder our progress of getting dressed quite a bit.

When we were finally downstairs, ignoring cheeky looks from Undyne, Sans and I both nursed our coffees. He drank his black today, and well, I had enough sugar in mine to give a small child a hell of a sugar rush. 

“So what do we know?” I asked, leaning against the counter, tucked under Sans’ arm. 

“Well, Mettaton is somewhere in Hotland, probably in his hotel, and isn’t actively searching for you.” Undyne supplied. I nodded, but Sans wasn’t satisfied with that. 

“is he under surveillance?” 

Undyne nodded, answering his question, and worked on eating eggs from a plate balanced in one of her hands, with a fork in the other. We really needed a dining room table. I wondered if there were any down here. 

“there’s the table in the foyer.” Sans commented, snooping on my thoughts. “could use that.” 

I teetered my head from side to side. It could work. If we moved the tv to the far wall, and the couch facing it, sectioning off the living room, then centered the table… we’d still need chairs, but it could work. In theory. 

Undyne looked at us if we were crazy and I shrugged. Where we would get chairs, I had no idea. 

“gerson might have some.” 

“You know you two can talk out loud.” Undyne snipped, washing her plate. 

“But then we wouldn’t annoy you.” I grinned. Sans chuckled beside me. “I was thinking about rearranging the furniture so we could use the table as an actual place to eat.” I informed her. “But we’d need chairs.” 

“Sans’ right then. Gerson would be the best bet.” Undyne concluded, piecing our conversation together. 

_ Can we go?  _ I asked Sans, not aloud. I didn’t want Undyne to pressure him into an answer. He gave me a worried glance and I smiled leaning against him.

“Guess we’ll have to wait until this Mettaton thing is under wraps.” I said, with the right of nonchalance to Undyne. Sans mentally thanked me.  Undyne gave me a look, but uncharacteristically dropped the topic. 

Days passed as I was under house arrest. Okay, well, it wasn’t purposeful, but with Mettaton still on the loose, I figured spending a few days inside with Sans away from the snow would keep both of us sane. Well, Sans sane.

I was slowly losing it. After the third day I awoke at seven in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I sighed and got dressed for the day and decided to clean. Sans found me mopping the bathroom, my hair in a top knot, sweaty and in his shirt and my jeans. I had been cleaning all morning, which included upstairs and downstairs. My phone was in my back pocket blarin my classic  _ Emo Trinity _ playlist. He looked at me for a moment and I smiled.

“okay, we’ll go out.” He said guiltily. 

“No, that’s not… Sans.” I complained. He chuckled and padded carefully across the wet floor and wrapped his arms around my waist. 

“it’s okay. i’m kinda going crazy too. it’s like being double trapped.” He whispered.

“But Mettaton?” I asked. 

“well, as much as i don’t like the thought, you can fight, and well. not that it’ll get that far, but…” He shrugged. “i’m strong enough to break that box of bolts anyway.” He said smugly. 

“Yeah yeah you’re so tough,” I mused, a smile playing at my lips. “Now, don’t you walk across my wet floor again.” I scolded shoving him out of the bathroom. I heard him laugh as I finished mopping and overall straightening the bathroom. Then I decided on shower. 

I quickly raced across the hallway back to our room to find clothes and nearly running into Sans and dropping the towel that was was wrapped precariously around me.

Sans raised his eyebrows at my clothing, or lack thereof and left the room to allow me to change. After the redness had faded from my face, I finally found something suitable to wear and braided my hair to keep the cold from attracting itself to my wet hair. 

Sans met me downstairs and we headed out together, his jacket wrapped tightly around myself. We didn’t go far, just to Cassandra’s shop. We had agreed that it would be safe to stay in town, and the rabbit’s shop seemed like a place we might find something to add to the house. Probably not chairs per say, but I had a few ideas of what I could add to their, my home.

“SANS!?!?” Papyrus called from afar. Sans was immediately on alert and so was I. 

“paps!?” Sans called,

“Papyrus!? Sweetie!?” I echoed. 

Sans and I looked at another and we broke into a sprint towards the forest, towards the sound of Papyrus’ call.

“papyrus!” Sans bellowed. 

We ran, and suddenly I felt Sans’ magic wrapped around me, gliding me over… ice. I would have tripped and fallen if he hadn’t. I thanked him mentally, and we continued to sprint through the forest. We passed a sentry station, then Papyrus came into view. 

I stopped in my tracks and pulled Sans’ arm, stopping him. I was panting, my heart beating out of my chest, but it froze when I saw what was before me. 

It was Papyrus. I let out a breath when I saw that he wasn’t hurt, but between Sans and I, and Papyrus was… Mettaton. 

“ _ You son of A BITCH!”  _ I roared, starting to stalk over towards Mettaton. He had a predatory smile stretched across his lips. I felt Sans’ hand on my arm, and I shook him off. He called my name warningly.

“ _ this is what he wants. _ ” Sans hissed, clearly not happy. He was right. If I engaged Mettaton, the robot would have no reason to hold back. Neither would the king. 

I hissed another curse and fumed at Sans’ side. Magic crackled across my skin, waiting to be unleashed. I wanted to let it have its way, to feel its purr in my soul and across my skin.

“A trade.” The slimey robot hissed. “Your brother for her.”

Oh. 

That was his game. 

It wasn’t a game against me, it was a game against Sans. But why? I couldn’t think of a right answer that would justify the robots actions. 

_ Let me go,  _ I whispered softly to Sans.  _ I’ll be okay. I’ll find my way back to you. _

He let out a strangled noise. I knew he didn’t want to, but the last thing I wanted him to do was to choose between his brother and I. I couldn’t make him do that. I wouldn’t, so I would go. I took his hand in mine and studied him, memorizing his face, one last time. 

_ Please, let me.  _ I begged.  _ Don’t choose. Please don’t choose. _

He studied me to, pain etched in his features. How I longed to reach out and stroke the pain away, or kiss him one last time, but I couldn’t.

_ i love you, _ He whispered. The thought echoed in my mind, resonating. He didn’t want to fight me. He wasn’t going to either. 

_ I love you too. I’ll come back to you. I promise.  _

He nodded, and squeezed my hand, then let it go. I walked through the snow, towards the psychotic robot, and Sans’ little brother.

“HUMAN, PLEASE, DO NOT. I WILL BE OKAY!!!” Papyrus tried. I shook my head. 

“This isn’t about you hon,” I consoled. “He doesn’t want you, he wants me.” I looked the robot square in the face. “Let him go. You have me.” I growled. 

“On the contrary my pet.” The robot monotoned. I tensed, and suddenly wished that Sans wasn’t so far away. “My programing thirsts for  _ human _ blood.” 

The words sank in. 

I was human. Full blood. 

But,

Sans was human. Papyrus was human. 

Not in full like I was, but… 

 

“ _ No.”  _ I snarled, letting my magic finally give way, lapping at my skin. 

Mettaton looked shocked, and the same predatory smile that adorned his face earlier, now accompanied mine. I heard Sans call my name and immediately turned around to face him. But it wasn’t a call to look, it was a warning to look out. 

I felt something hot and piercing tear through my soul. The agony came out through my lips as I fell to the snow, feeling myself slipping away. It wasn’t blue magic that encased me in protection this time, it was orange. A bright cheery color with hints of red, that couldn’t be anyone else but Papyrus. I could feel the power radiating off of the dome around me, it was nowhere near as powerful as Sans’ magic, but it was still… wow. 

I marveled at the dome, barely sitting myself up, to examine it closer. A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen and I looked down and gasped. I had a bullet wound that was now producing a lot of blood, that was going to kill me if I didn’t stop it soon. I pressed my hand over it, and cried out in agony, my nerves sending flares of pain through my whole stomach.

I blinked at all of the blood, and I knew that I should do something to stop it, but the actions of what to do, never crossed my mind, nor did my muscles respond. Everything just became red. My last conscious thought was “really again?”

 

My vision and consciousness came in and out, voices coming in here and there. What was most jarring was the smell. It wasn’t the metallicness of blood, but of cinnamon and lavender. My mind told me I should know this. Who this is, why this scent is so… important to me, but everything drew blank. 

I felt the warmth of… something and suddenly the pain was gone and my eyes flew open as I sat up in a panic. I gasped and panted, and let the spots dance out of my eyes. 

When my eyes did focus, I was in a bed, in a room I didn’t recognize. I went on high alert, magic coursing through my veins. 

But then my eyes fell on someone that immediately calmed all fears.  

“Toriel,” I gasped, tears stinging my eyes, as I reached out for her. She wrapped me in a warm hug and was crying as well as I was. 

“Hello my child,” She whispered, stroking my hair. A thousand thoughts ran through my head. A million more questions… 

“Why are you here?” I rasped out, then rethought the question. “Not saying I don’t want you here but… you told me to go alone.” My voice cracked.

She smiled and held my shoulders, looking me over. 

“You’ve found your other half my dear,” She said, beaming with pride, ignoring my question. I flushed and nodded. “He came to me, Sans did, to the door, begging for my assistance. That you were going to die.” She went quiet. “My child, why would you do such a foolishly brave thing?” 

“Mettaton, he… he was making Sans choose. Between me and his brother.” Tears filled my eyes again. “I  _ couldn’t _ make him choose Tori, I couldn’t break his heart like that.” Toriel took me back into her arms and stroked my hair, holding me. 

“You did well, my child. Your choice was noble and I understand.” She paused. “He is your other half, and you walked away, to keep him from choosing.” There was melancholy in her voice. “I’m so proud of you.”

Her words sunk in, as well as the words from everyone else. The queen and king were soul mates. The queen didn’t stay with the king because of his actions of killing human children. She walked away so he didn’t have to choose. 

“Tori…” I said sympathetically. She chuckled and set me on my feet.

“It is long past, my child.” She gave me a once over. “How are you feeling?” Toriel asked. 

My hand flew to my side, where I had been shot, and there was nothing but an angry scar where the wound should have been. There was no pain either. I frowned and really took in the situation, my clothes from earlier were gone, and I was in a black t-shirt, that was just tight enough to make me feel self-conscious, and grey sweats, that were thankfully loose. My hair was neatly braided at the nape of my neck. 

“What happened?” I whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed by Toriel. “Where’s Sans?” Was the more pressing question. 

“He is alright,” Toriel assured me. I nodded, but was still anxious that he wasn’t with me. Toriel took in my panicked posture and smiled, standing. “I’ll go and get him for you,” 

“No, Toriel, wait.” I tried. I didn’t want to be rude to the woman who had left her home to come to my rescue. I was more than grateful. “I wasn’t…”

“Think nothing of it my child,” She let out a laugh, “I’ll be in town for some time so it seems. It will not offend me one bit.” 

I nodded, and stood following her, still not sure of where I was, until we walked down stairs and I was greeted by Cassandra’s sister, and her child. I struggled to remember her name, but it came up blank. The next face I saw made my heart soar.

It was Sans, my Sans. Worried out of his mind of course, but he was there. He looked me over, and my state of healthiness, then made his way across the small lobby and encased me in his arms, crushing me to him. Not that I was complaining. I was doing the same. 

Sans gave a curt nod to Toriel, behind my back, and I missed her reaction, but the next moment I knew we were in our room, and God, it made me want to cry all over again. Even though I had been living with him here, it was still  _ him.  _

“don’t  _ do that.”  _ He hissed in my ear. He was trying to come off as mad, but worry coated his voice. His arms remained wrapped around me as we stood in the middle of the room, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. 

“I’m so sorry, Sans.” I choked out. “I’m sorry this keeps happening. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to do that to you.” I rushed out in one breath, shaking in his arms. 

“don’t apologize. please, that’s the last thing i want from you.” He responded, stroking the back of my head. I still mumbled apologies, clinging to him. He, in turn, consoled with kind and gentle words. 

I thought crossed my mind. 

“You went and got Toriel,” It was a statement that slipped from my lips. He looked at me and nodded, guilty, waiting for me to yell at him. I didn’t, of course, I wasn’t mad.

“i’m sorry. i didn’t want to leave you, there was just…  _ so much blood, _ ” He rasped out. I stroked his cheek, consoling him. 

“But why her?” I said, nuzzling my nose to his jaw, alleviating his worry. 

“she, her magic. it heals. anyone and anything, as long as they’re still breathing.” He filled me in. I nodded. It made sense that that’s where he would turn.

“And she came? For me?” I was still not processing that she was in fact here, and even more so, here for me. I wasn’t that important. 

“yes you are.” 

“That’s annoying, ya know that?” I smiled, mentioning his acknowledgement to my thoughts. 

He shrugged, unapologetic. I felt his hands made their way down my sides, and his right hand pressed over my hip, where the faded scar resided. He slid his fingers under my shirt and traced the scar. 

“you’re okay?” He looked affirmation. 

I nodded. I felt fine, other then the nightmares that I knew were coming, but Sans would be there to let them fade. I frowned, and Sans immediately looked panicked. 

“what?” He demanded. 

“Mettaton?” I asked weakly. He growled, and I felt magic tickle my skin from his fingertips. 

“sedated.” He hissed. He was obviously not happy that that was the case with the killer robot. Fear ran through me. 

“Sans…” I said warily. 

“tori wouldn’t allow it. she said she’d save you if i let it live.”

“Sans…” I stroked his cheekbone with the pad of my thumb. Part of me was bitter towards Toriel for making Sans chose such a thing, but I was grateful. I didn’t like the idea of anyone being killed, killer robot or not. 

“she said you’d say that.” He mumbled. I smiled and rolled my eyes. 

“Thank you,” I whispered. 

“don’t thank me,” He muttered. 

“But I’m thankful.” I insisted. “I’m alive because of you.” 

“you’re also in this mess because of me.” 

“Sans.” I said sternly, taken aback. “No, no.  _ No.”  _ I said, shaking my head. I cupped his face and made him look at me. “This is  _ not  _ your fault.” I pressed. 

He shrugged out of my grasp, and went to sit on the bed. I narrowed my eyes at him, and sat beside him. 

“Sans,” I provoked. He shook his head. 

“if you didn’t meet me—”

“—I’d be dead.” I interjected. He took a breath. 

“if we weren’t soulmates,” He tried again. I thought about his words. If I had met him, but had no calling to him… “you’d have kept going. you’d be free.” He whispered. 

“Sans,” I barely whispered. “I’d still be dead.” 

“i’d make sure you would have gotten through safely.” He tacked on. I shook my head. 

“You saved me from a lot more than other monsters,” I took a deep breath. “You saved me from myself. I… I don’t know how much I could have taken without you. I was so alone Sans.” I felt his arms wrap around me. He whispered my name softly pressing kisses to my forehead, just below my hairline. “Do you not want me?” I choked out. 

Sans had my face cupped in his hands, his fingers hot against my skin.

“_______, of course i want you.” He reaffirmed. “i want what’s best for you, and i don’t know if that’s me.” His voice broke.

“That’s not for you to decide,” My voice soft, despite the biting words. “It’s for me to, and Sans, you’re the best thing that’s happened to me.” I whispered. 

He nodded, and I hugged him close, curling my fingers in his white t-shirt. My eyes widened, when a thought crossed my mind. 

“God, did I ruin your jacket?” I asked, suddenly anxious. I felt him laugh against me, and I smiled, biting my lip, flushing slightly. 

“no sweetheart, you didn’t.” He assured me. 

My heart did a little flip at the pet name. He raised a brow bone at me, and I shrugged. I wasn’t about to apologize. Sans’ eyes flitted to the side, as if he were thinking of something. I frowned, questioning. 

“are you okay enough to see everyone else?” He asked, rubbing my arms. 

“Yeah… are they okay?” I asked. 

“yeah, they’re just worried about you really.” 

“I mean… I’d like more time with you… can they spare a few hours?” I asked. 

He chuckled. “they’ve been waiting three days.” 

My eyes widened and I stood, freaking out. 

“Three  _ days!?  _ I’ve been out for  _ three fucking days!?”  _ I exclaimed, pacing. 

No, it couldn’t have been three days. It couldn’t have been. There was no way. Sans’ arms wrapped around me, keeping me in place, anchoring me to the truth. I felt his lips on my neck, leaving gentle kisses, and my anger and confusion pacified instantly. 

“you’re extremely hot when you curse, ya know that?” He whispered against my skin. I felt a shiver go down my spine. 

“You’re really making me not want to go and see anyone Sans.” I half whined. He chuckled against my skin, and pulled away, taking my hand and leading me downstairs, where all of our friends waiting anxiously. 

Sans beamed at me, and took my hand, leading me to the top of the stairs. Undyne was suddenly behind me, covering my eyes, taking away my vision.

“ _ Sans… Undyne…”  _ I complained. Undyne snickered and Sans squeezed my hand. 

_ trust me,  _ He said softly. I nodded, and kept walking. We stopped, and I could tell that we were somewhere around the kitchen, but my toes still sunk into the plush carpet of the family room. Suddenly Undyne’s hands were gone, and I blinked, letting my eyes focus. 

All around me were people, but what stood out the most, was the dining set, complete with chairs and a banquet stretched before me. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands, tears stinging my eyes. I looked around the room, and saw that it had been rearranged as well, in the exact way I thought it would and God, it worked. 

I was pretty sure that I was crying when I hugged Sans tightly, and everyone in the room cheered. When I finally broke from his grasp regretfully, everyone else seemed to want a hug from me.

Undyne hugged me first, again yelling at me that I had to stop doing things like that. Next was Papyrus. He apologized over and over, that it was his fault that I got shot, but that he was happy that I was okay. Then Alphys came, and well, we didn’t hug because I knew that she would be uncomfortable with that. She too apologized about what happened, and I gave a warm smile and forgiveness. One, it wasn’t really her fault, and two, Undyne was giving me a death glare. Toriel was there too. I gave her a tight hug, and thanked her for being there for me. Both now, and before when I was almost dead.

So many others were at the house, the whole town really; all wondering how I was, and grateful that I was alright. They had also brought various foods, so I was sure that we’d have meals for well over a week. From what I gathered, they had all pitched in to find the chairs and new table that was now residing in the new dining room. So many times that night I felt tears well up in my eyes. Sans would squeeze my hand when he could feel me losing it, and I regained control. 

I looked around at all these people, and was more than joyous. I wasn’t alone anymore. I didn’t have no one to come home to. No longer did people not care if I lived or died. 

People cared about me. They really did. I just had to find where I belonged first to see that. And being beside Sans the entire night, even when we were in bed, I knew where I belonged.

  
  



	8. Something Old And Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, kiddos!  
> Did you miss me? Because I missed you. Sorry for such the late update on this, school is kicking my butt, and being creative is hard when you're trying to figure out college.  
> ANYWAY  
> I love you guys so much.  
> Warning: Sans and Readz finally relieve some sexual tension.  
> In other words, this chapter contains mild smut.  
> That's what this warning is.  
> IF YOU ARE TOO YOUNG DO NOT READ IT. IM SERIOUS. I WILL BE WATCHING. I WILL KNOW.
> 
> Enjoy another chapter of these crazy kids and let me know what you think.  
> DISCLAIMER: I changed some of the lore to fit my plot. Sue me. 
> 
> I love each of you.  
> Always keep fighting the good fight
> 
> Love, Momma Marri.

In bed that night, Sans and I didn’t say much, but a thousand thoughts seared through my mind. Most of them from the prior twenty-four hours. So much had happened, I couldn’t wrap my head around it all. The most striking factor was that Toriel was out of the Ruins. 

Word spread quickly of the queen who had come to Snowdin, and I feared that that meant the king would come to see her. I knew she didn’t want that, but when I approached her about it, she let out a small laugh.

“Oh, child,” She chided. “We all must face our past, one way or another, and I believe that my time has come to do so.” Toriel smiled and gave me a tight hug, telling me that if I needed anything that she would be staying at the in down the road. I nodded and waved as she made her way down the path, Grillby accompanying her. I closed the door and leaned against it, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

“you okay?” Sans asked, coming over to me. I nodded. I was okay. I think. I mean I wasn’t dead and Toriel was here, so that was something. Yeah, okay could be something to describe how I was.

Pushed off the door and made my way to the couch, that was now facing the TV that was against the west wall. Sans grabbed a quilt and came to join me. I curled up in his arms and felt his hand make its way to my waist, where his fingers traced my scar. 

“You’re worrying,” I mumbled into his shoulder. I didn’t have to see his soul to know that. 

“that box of bolts is still alive.” He muttered. I nuzzled his neck, nodding. 

“I know, but I don’t think that he’ll try anything like that again.” I reasoned. “At least I hope not.” Sans let out a noise of distress and I flashed a smile. “Sorry, that was tactless.”

He shrugged, and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the back of the couch. I shifted so that my legs were hanging over the arm of the sofa and my head was in Sans’ lap. His fingers smoothed out my hair from its braid. I let my eyes slid shut and relaxed.

“What was your mom like?” I wondered aloud. I peeked an eye open when he didn’t respond right away. He seemed to be lost in thought, so I dropped the matter. After a moment he did speak. 

“she was gentle and kind. she loved to bake and sew. her embroidery was always envied.” He paused, and I watched his face intently, trying to make a mental image of this woman. “her hair was a light blonde, and her eyes deep brown.” He looked down at me and smiled, then got sad. “i don’t remember her much, she’s kinda slipped away and faded. you remind me of her though.” I rolled my eyes.

“Did she use magic?” I asked, prying slightly.

“yes, she was strong, like you are.” I again rolled my eyes and blushed slightly. 

“M’not that strong,” I mumbled. This time Sans rolled his eyes. 

“yes, you are. stronger than a lot of mages that i’ve met.” He said matter-of-factly. 

“Mhmm, and you’ve met so many,” I said sarcastically.

“i have.” His tone wasn’t teasing like mine, it was sorrowful. I waited for more of a response. “i fought a lot of them, during the war, because i was the strongest magic-using monster.” 

“Really?” I asked, interested. He nodded. “Why?” 

He chuckled. “always curious, aren’t you?” He teased lightly. I nodded. He studied me, debating whether or not to continue. “monster-human hybrids are some of the most powerful beings know to both monster and man.” He paused. “with my mother and father both being magic wielders, it made my brother and me very powerful.” 

“Hmm,” I said, absorbing his words. “Do you think that I’m stronger than you?” I asked, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. 

“no, i don’t, but there’s no way we’re testing that either.” He said firmly. 

“Yeah, yeah, no fighting anyone with magic. Got it.” I muttered. He chuckled.

“‘s’not that. you can use magic _______, no one will stop you, especially now that tori is around.”

“Okay, so what is it?” I asked, sitting up.

“i don’t want to risk hurting you.” He whispered. “there’s no way to know how my power will react with yours.”

“Would it even affect me?” I asked, curious. He looked confused. “I mean, since we’re ya know, soulmates, if you tried to attack me with malicious intent, would it affect me? Would your soul even let you?” I reeled out the question, more thinking out loud to myself than talking to Sans, who had gone rigid beneath me. 

“we’re not trying it,” He hissed. My eyes snapped to his, and I saw the fear written across his face. His soul swirled in agony like he was remembering something that he didn’t want to. 

“Sans?” I asked, wondering if he would tell me, Not that I would pry, but, if he was this stressed out about the idea, then maybe it was worthwhile to know about. 

“it was a long time ago. it doesn’t matter now,” He said softly. 

“If it didn’t matter it wouldn’t be affecting you like this.” I chided. He gave me a flat look. “Okay, fine, you don’t have to talk about it, but Sans, really, I’m here for that. For anything.” 

“i know. i know,” He rubbed his face. “i just don’t like thinking about it. that’s all. i’d never keep anything from you.” He looked at me guiltily... 

“Course not,” I reassured him. “I just want to help you all that I can and if you don’t tell me, I don't know how to help.”

Sans sighed. “i know. just, that combat between a human and monster is brutal, a human is physically stronger, and their souls are stronger, but monsters use magic a lot easier and can do more damage to a soul.” He paused. “humans and monsters were supposed to work together to fight, not against another.” I rubbed his arm, and held his hand in mine, offering silent comfort. “my... my mother, was against the war effort, it got so bad that she… she and gaster fought. magic to magic. gaster made it, my mother…” He didn’t finish. 

“I’m so sorry, Sans,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around him. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” I felt terrible for entertaining an idea like that know that that was what had killed his mother. I rubbed his back, my fingers catching on each of his ribs as he held me close. I felt his fingers curl into my hair, pulling me close. 

“i don’t ever want to hurt you,” He whispered. “i can’t lose you too.” 

“You won’t, I promise.” 

He went silent, and I pulled away and looked at him. 

“What?” I prompted. 

“i’ve almost lost you so many times, in such a short span of time…” He responded, looking down. “i wish it wasn’t like this. i wish i didn’t keep you trapped down here, that everyone was trapped down here. i want something better for you.” 

I stroked his cheekbone softly and pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“That’s not something that you can control,” I reasoned. “You and me, being here, trapped or not, I’m happy, and this is what I want. When are you gonna see that?” I asked. 

“dunno. just seems so surreal.” 

I smiled, “I know what you mean,” I glanced at the new clock on the wall. “Why don’t we head up to bed.” I offered. It was nearing nine o’clock, and well, Sans looked like he hadn’t slept in the past three days that I was unconscious. 

Sans nodded, and stood, taking my hand as we headed upstairs. I groaned as I tried to brush my unwashed hair, then gave up. 

“I need a shower, do you want to join me?” I asked, grabbing pjs and a towel. Sans looked unsure of what to do, so I smiled and took his hand as we walked to the bathroom. “Where’s Pap’s?” I asked, noticing the quiet house. 

“over at undyne’s. alphys feels awful, and they’re there to comfort her. she gets really bad anxiety when she’s alone. and well, paps is…” 

“A hyperactive puppy?” I supplied. Sans nodded as he closed the door behind us. “I guess I should go and talk to Alphys about what happened. Let her know that I’m not upset, or mad at her.”

Sans tensed beside me. 

“What?” I prompted.

“i... don’t know if…” 

“Sans, you’re not keeping me from my friends. And it wasn’t Alphys’ fault. You know that. You should know that.” I looked at him, waiting for that affirmation.

He gave a small nod, and I stripped my shirt and started the water. Sans followed my lead and soon we were both under the steady stream of warm water and I felt the events of the past few days rinse off and leave my system. 

“It’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. One day. We’ll be out, and together, and free from fear.” I murmured against his neck when we were tucked into bed later that night. His arm wrapped around me and pulled me closer.

“how?” He asked, kinda hopeless.

“I’ll find a way. It’ll work out. We’ll get out Sans. There will be an end to this.” I vowed to Sans, the darkness, and the entire population of the Underground. 

When my eyes finally slid shut, and exhaustion overtook me, I waited for the nightmares to come, and they did, but I knew they weren’t real, so I waited them out. There were phantom pains of getting shot, the fear and panic in Sans’ eyes, and the pure hatred he had towards Mettaton. I saw Toriel, and her panic at my physical state, and her working her fire magic. It was, in a twisted way, nice, to see what I missed when I was unconscious. 

I let the dream play through, learning what I could, not fretting about what I couldn’t. The dream faded, and I awoke and smiled. I had made it through a nightmare without screaming or crying. I chuckled softly and curled up into Sans’ arms. THey tightened around me when my movements awoke Sans. 

“what’re you so happy ‘bout?” Sans mumbled into my shoulder. 

“Had a nightmare.” I grinned. I felt the confusion flare in his soul. 

“and you’re happy?” His confusion was evident in his tone as well. 

“Am I crying? Or screaming? Or having a panic attack because of it?” I prompted. 

Sans went silent, and I knew he was watching my soul for any signs of panic or fear because of my dream, but there was nothing like that to be found, and I knew it. 

“huh.” Was all he said. I let out a laugh and turned to face him, my face lit up with joy. This was the first time ever, that even though darkness and fear and danger lurked over me, I wasn’t afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of. I had so many people who loved me, and would take care of me, so why would I be afraid.  

Sans chuckled and pulled me close, and we were both happy together. Sure, almost everyone in the Underground had tried to kill me, but it didn’t matter. Who I was, how I felt, was changing. I was healing. 

We woke the next morning lazily, there was no one to wake us up. Paps wasn’t here, and well, neither was anyone else. Despite the fact that I had Sans to myself, the house was kinda lonely and quiet. I made coffee as Sans cooked. Waiting for the coffee to brew, I laid my chin on Sans’ shoulder as he worked on scrambled eggs. Bacon was frying in a pan beside the eggs, and the smell made my mouth water. I was tempted to pick the crispy bacon right of the sizzling skillet. Sans’ soft chuckle and head shake told me I shouldn’t. But I wanted to. 

“you can wait.” He chided. I gave a small pout. 

With breakfast done and the kitchen cleaned, Sans and I curled back up on the couch. We had the TV on, but neither of us was really watching it. There was a knock on the front door, and I jumped at the sound. I felt Sans go on edge, and wrap his arms tighter around me. 

“it’s open!” He called, looking over the back of the couch to see who it was. I curled my legs up to my chest, and waited, for whatever happened. I didn’t breathe until I saw Sans relax under me. 

“hey tori.” Sans greeted. 

“Hello Sans,” Toriel replied, a smile in her voice. 

“Hey Tori, I called, sitting up on the couch, still tucked against Sans’ side. 

Hello, child, how are you feeling today?” She asked, kind as ever. 

“Much better, thank you.” I smiled. “For everything.”

“Of course, my child. Anything for you.” She smiled. 

“there a reason you stopped by tori?” Sans asked. I gave him a sharp look. “not that i’m objecting,” He amended. 

“I’d like to talk with ______ if you don’t mind.” The queen asked, slightly sheepish.

“Oh, yeah. Of course! Is it alright if Sans stays?” I asked when I realized how worried he had gotten at the thought of leaving my side. 

“Certainly. He may want to hear this as well.” Toriel smiled, and I returned the gesture. 

Sans got up and grabbed a chair from the dining room table and set it out for Tori, in front of the couch. Toriel thanked him as she sat, and Sans returned to my side. My heart was pounding with anxiety trying to figure out what this talk was about. 

“Now, I understand that you are a magic user?” She asked me softly, no accusation in her voice. I nodded and worried my bottom lip. Sans held my hand reassuringly. Toriel smiled. 

“That is quite wonderful my child.” She approved. The queen sighed and looked down. “I had a child, children that could use magic as well.” 

I frowned. Don’t all monsters use magic? Toriel pressed on and gave me clarity. 

“My son, Asriel, was Asgore and I’s child.” She paused, trying to find the right words. “The first child who fell. Her name was Charalane. Asgore and I took her in, as our own. Asriel was the one who found her, and they immediately had a bond that was unbreakable.” Toriel smiled at a memory. “Chara, she fell ill. In ways that even I as queen could not heal. It was a sickness that I had never encountered before. It broke Asriel inside, so when Chara asked him to take him back to the village she came from, as a final request, he did it without a second thought. They crossed the barrier, together.” 

I was so caught up in the heartbreak of the story, that it took me a minute to realize what she was trying to tell me. A human and monster, both living, crossed the barrier. Sure, one was dying, but, the fact remained.

“Are you saying that… I might not have to be dead to take down the barrier?” I asked, my eyes wide. 

“I’m not entirely certain on the matter, but it would seem that way, and since you and Sans are bonded so, I think we may have a chance.” The queen affirmed.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Holy fuck,” I muttered. I could do it. I could take down the barrier. I could get Sans out of here. I could get him out. Me. I laughed and hugged Sans. 

“That is, only if you want to my child.” Toriel tacked on. 

“God, Toriel, yes. I want to.” I looked into Sans’ eyes, two white pinpricks of beaming hope and repeated, “I want to.” 

Sans tore his eyes from mine and looked at Toriel, finally speaking. 

“not until mettaton is taken care of.” 

I didn’t know whether that meant killing the robot or fixing his programming. I hoped for the latter. He still deserved to be free like the rest of us. 

“Of course. Dr. Alphys is rewiring him as we speak. In fact, everything should be completed this afternoon.” Toriel informed us. I was glad that that was all sorted out, but I was leery about meeting the robot again. God, where was Papyrus if he was supposed to be with Alphys and she was fixing Mettaton. Who else knew that Sans and his brother were half-human and half-monster? I wondered if it was common knowledge. 

“Well, I’ll be getting out of your hair then,” Toriel smiled, standing. Before I could protest she gave her reason. “I must speak with Asgore about your decision. He will want to know.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I realized her words were true, so I stood, and walked her to the door. “Thank you Toriel.” I gave her a hug as she made her way towards Waterfall and the palace somewhere beyond. 

When I closed the door behind me, I was grinning like an idiot. Sans was there, his expression matching mine. He crossed the room and wrapped me in a hug, holding me tight against him. I curled my arms around him and held him close, inhaling deeply, taking him in. 

“I can do it, Sans, I can get you out,” I whispered through almost tears. 

“i know you can. you can do anything.” I heard the smile in his voice. We needed a win. Both of us needed a win, and this seemed like a pretty big win. 

“I love you,”  I whispered, pulling away and looking at him earnestly. 

“i love you too.”

I laughed and rubbed my face, then took his hand. 

“Come on, we’re going out.” I grinned grabbing my shoes and San’s jacket, shrugging it on and heading out into the chilly evening. 

Sans was right beside me as we walked to Grillby’s, holding my hand, and swinging it slightly. We both were in a good mood, and ready for a night out. 

The bell chimed as we entered the warm atmosphere of the bar. Grillby crackled a hello, and we took our normal spot in the corner booth. Without a word, Grillby brought us drinks and food. He lingered at the table for a moment before asking:

“ _ Is it true? Can you get us out?”  _ His voice was low and soft so that no one else around would hear. 

“I think so,” I whispered back. “I really hope so.” I tacked on. 

Grillby nodded, and rested his hand on my shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. 

“ _ You’ll do amazing. We all believe in you.”  _ He smiled—could elementals smile?— and went back to polishing off glasses behind the bar. 

“How does he know?” I asked Sans, working my way through my burger. 

“he’s part of the council. he’s been by asgore’s side for longer than i have. so no doubt asgore has already asked for his advice on the matter.” Sans informed me, between bites of his own burger. 

“Oh. Okay.” Was all I said. What could I say? I look over at the fire elemental and agreed that he did seem very old and ancient. I could see him at Asgore’s side through the years.  I wondered what made him want to become a bartender and not at the palace with Asgore. 

“his daughter,” Sans answered my question. I gave him a look. 

“That’s annoying ya know.” I half scolded him. He grinned lazily and shrugged. 

“cinder is what changed grillby’s mind. she’s a little younger than i am and was born after the war had begun. when her mother died underground, grillby left the king and came here, somewhere quieter, that wouldn’t endanger his daughter’s life.”

I nodded and felt a twang of sympathy for the bartender. 

“He’s still apart of the council though? There’s a council? Who’s on it? Are you? Do you guys have like secret meetings? Are you even supposed to talk about it? It is like the movie  _ Fight Club _ ?” 

Sans was laughing by the end of my rambled questions. I looked to him for answers, munching on a fry, waiting. He let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. 

“no, we’re allowed to talk about it. and there are quite a few of us. grillby, gerson, and i are the longest running members, undyne joined, and so did alphys after my father…” He shook his head, getting rid of the thought. “paps comes to meetings every once in a while, not that we have meetings that often anymore.” 

“Huh. What do you guys even talk about?” I asked. 

“it was mainly for war strategy, but now, its once a year updates. nothing too over the top.” Sans shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Oh.” I looked down. Sans nudged my foot from under the table and I looked up, to him smiling. 

“stop worrying so much. i don’t mind talking about it. like you said, it's in the past, you’re here now,” He consoled me. 

I stared at him in awe. He actually listens to me. 

“I’m here,” I repeated. I blinked. “Since when do you listen to me?” I asked, and he laughed. 

“i normally listen to you,” He pointed out. “you’re the one who tunes most of us out.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, okay. Then let me rephrase, when do you listen and do what I say?” I raised my eyebrows, leaning back against the booth and folding my arms. He chuckled and relaxed as well. 

“yeah, well.” He trailed off. I kept smiling at him. 

Grillby came back to our table and took away our dishes and then returned with some pie for each of us. I grabbed the clean fork and started to make my way through my piece of pie. Without disappointment, it tasted delicious as all other monster food had. It actually tasted like my grandmother's strawberry pie that she always made for my birthdays when I was little. I was never much of a cake person.

Sans, watching me, slid me his slice of pie, and I shook my head. I was okay with just one piece. 

“eat it.” he demanded. I rolled my eyes.

“Split it with me.” I countered. 

And so we did. Grillby kept a close eye on us all the while, and well, I think that everyone in the bar did. Rumors must be spreading of what I was about it do. I felt a pit in my stomach. What if I couldn’t do it? What if this was just some false hope that will never become a reality?

“hey, hey,” Sans pulled me out of my depressive thoughts, and back into the cozy warm bar. His facial expressions were soft, and kind. “don’t worry about that. we’ll find a way to make it work. i promise.”

I nodded. I could do this. I just had to believe. Right?

Right?

“let’s get out of here,” Sans offered his hand standing. “you need some fresh air, and a night out.” 

“I thought we were out for the night?” I drawled and stood, taking his hand. 

“or ya, know, we could go home…” He grinned. 

“Fine, fine. What do you have in mind?” I pulled his jacket—I guess it was mine now— as we walked back out into the snowy night. 

“there’s a place in waterfall, it’s… well, it’s hard to explain. the water glows, and it’s really pretty.” He tried to explain, a soft blue brushing his cheeks. 

I chuckled and nudged his shoulder, smiling. 

“Alright. I’m game. You act like I’m gonna say no.” I teased. 

“you totally can though,” He clarified. I rolled my eyes. 

“Shortcut?” I asked.

I wasn’t sure how far away this place was, and well, I didn’t feel like walking that far. He chuckled, picking up on my thoughts then gliding his hand through the snowy night sky, creating a door to a place that I could feel the humidity. I stepped through the door and Sans behind me, closing the door. 

Sans was right. This place was beautiful. 

All around me the water glowed a soft teal, creating a stark contrast against the walkway and the lily pads. There were stones embedded in the path too, they glowed, the same soft blue-green as the water. I looked around in wonder, marveling at the beauty around me. It was something out of a storybook, a fairy tale. 

I heard Sans chuckle and he came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. 

“How is this possible? Places like this can’t exist.” I whispered, wrapping my hands around his. 

“it does in my world.” He murmured in my ear. 

He pulled away and took my hand and lead me to a spot where the steady streams of water were interrupted by a small waterfall, the water trickling over glowing rocks, creating a soft song. We sat side by side, hands intertwined, listening. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t I didn’t want to lose the beauty in front of me. 

I reached out and let the water run over my fingers. The water was cold, and brisk, but transparent in my hand. I frowned. 

“Why does it glow?” I asked Sans, drawing my hand from the water and wiping it on my jeans. 

“magic.” Sans said. I wanted to roll my eyes, but it seemed like a feasible answer. 

I let my own magic flow to my hands and into the water, but it never touched the cool liquid. My magic seemed to repel the water, the teal avoiding my golden magic. I frowned and reached my hand out, and again the water avoided it. It created a dome around my glowing fingers. 

“What the hell?” I muttered, and let the glow fade from my hands, and again the water welcomed my hand.

I looked to Sans for an answer. His eyes had the same questions mine did. I saw the glow of his magic encase his hands as he reached down into the water, and it was as if nothing had changed. The water ran through his smooth white bones naturally. 

“What the actual hell?” I yelled at the water, standing. “Is it because I’m human? What’s wrong with my magic?” I yelled at no one in particular. 

Sans stood and rubbed my arms. 

“nothing’s wrong with you.” He consoled. “we’ve never really seen your magic react with any other magic but mine.” He gave reason. 

“Then let’s go and find someone.” I huffed, walking in what seemed like the right direction until Sans tugged me back my waist. 

“sweetheart, two things. one, you’re not going the right way, and two, you can’t just ask someone to use their magic like that.” He said, let me go.

I frowned and stopped. “Like what?” 

He offered his hand, and I took it and he led me along the glowing path. 

“magic the way we use it is very personal. it’s not something that you do, normally, unless you’re in a relationship.” He paused. “magic is normally just for combat or fun. it’s never magic on magic like we do it.” I studied him, and stop walking. 

“So we’ll never know?” I whispered. 

“hey, it’ll be okay. it’s actually a good thing.” He smiled.

“How? How is this good?” I muttered. 

“it’s good,” He said, cupping my face. “because it means that you’re all mine.” 

His hands found my waist as he pressed his lips to mine. I let his words sink in and realized he was right. This didn’t have to be a bad thing. The feeling of his lips on mine convinced me that this wasn’t a bad thing. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, my hands slipping down into his shirt. I moaned softly when one of his hands snakes up and tangled into my hair and his tongue met mine. I gave in on the battle for dominance, and let him take me away in the kiss, my fingers curled around his ribs, which elicited an almost feral moan from his lips into my mouth that made my knees go weak. 

I pulled away panting and pressed my forehead to his.

“Sans,” I whispered still panting. 

I heard my name caressed by his lips, and I kissed him again. Whatever I was going to say, well it didn’t seem as important now. Kissing him on the other hand, was very important. There was nothing like kissing Sans, even with the small experience I had, it had been nothing compared to this—to him. 

I felt one of his hands leave me, and with a smooth step forward from Sans, we were in our shared room back home. The warmth was inviting, and a bit too much between the heat radiating off of Sans, so I quickly stripped his hoodie. I heard him chuckle as he slowly walked me back to the bed, his lips caressing my neck and shoulders, making me melt in his arms.

When my knees hit the back of the bed, I let myself fall onto it, laying back, looking up at Sans. He looked at me both love and lust in his eyes. I bit my lower lip in expectation and watched as he stripped his shirt and crawled over me. His hands were blazing trails on my skin; his fingers taking my shirt up with them as they trailed up my sides. I took the moment to strip the shirt completely. My hands trailed down his arms, my fingers grazing the smoothness of his bones, as he in return marveled at me. My eyes searched his for any hesitancy, or fear about what we were heading towards, but found none. 

“Sans,” I whispered softly, stroking his cheekbone with the pad of my thumb. 

He cupped my face and pressed soft kisses to my forehead, nose, and lips, whispering my name between each kiss. His hands trailed down my arms, my skin tingling at the paths they made, and I didn’t know if that was because of my humanity or his magic. At that point, I didn’t really care. His lips trailed down my jaw and neck, kissing and nipping at the delicate skin. I let out little whimpers and pants as he made his way down, his tongue tracing the hem and strap of my bra. 

“do you want me to stop?” He murmured into my skin. His hands were at my waist, and mine were tangled in his ribs. I shook my head. 

“No, please. Sans,” I whispered. “Please, I want you.”

“do you trust me?” He asked. 

I nodded and pulled him up for another kiss, my lips hot and urgent against his. I breathed into him and didn’t give up the fight for dominance between our tongues. If he wanted it, he would have to take it. I heard a growl rumble from his chest, probably from my thoughts. 

And take it he did. He was relentless kissing me, his tongue overpowering mine, and though I fought, I whimpered a moan when his hands came up to my chest and traced my ribs, just under the line of my bra. I heard him chuckle against my lips.

“Not fair,” I panted. 

“and why’s that?” He asked, amused. 

His lips went to nipping at my collarbone, and a moan escaped my lips when his tongue traced it. I could feel the heat growing between my legs as my grip on him tightened. I mewled his name, and he growled mine in response. 

“do you trust me?” He asked, once more, and I nodded. There was nothing that I wouldn’t do for him right now. “good.” 

Again I blinked, and as before, I was wearing a lot less clothing—left only in my bra and underwear—with no idea where my pants and socks went, not that I cared. I grinned and bit my lip. I had also moved on the bed; now I was centered, with my head on a pillow, and the covers probably on the floor. Yet, I still didn’t care. 

Sans kept kissing down my neck and chest, driving me insane because he never kissed where I wanted it most. From the grin on his face when I whimpered because of the fact, I knew he was doing it on purpose. 

I wasn’t going to let him win this battle between us, so I sat up and moved so that he was pinned under me. Sans looked half shocked, and the other half in awe. I didn’t let him distract me, not even when his hands slipped into the fabric of my underwear and slid them down until he was gripping the backs of my thighs. 

No, I focused on him. I kissed and nipped at his collarbone and clavicle, and anywhere I could reach. His breaths became ragged as I continued, moans escaping his lips when I grazed my teeth against the smoothness of his collarbone. I pressed my hips to his, and felt him hard and waiting, a hiss coming from between his teeth when I rolled my hips against him softly against him. 

I grinned down at him, and he grinned back up, and in one quick movement, he was back on top of me. I yelped but was suddenly occupied when I felt his hand trail down my stomach and between my legs to gently rub my outer folds. I whimpered and moaned, and Sans pressed his lips back to mine, consuming each noise he elicited from me.

I gripped at his back, pulling him closer, but it didn’t last long, for suddenly my hands were pinned above my head, through both of Sans’ hands were still on me, one of them quite occupied with bringing me pleasure. I tried pulling them back down to hold him, but he stopped me.

“let me adore you,” He whispered onto my lips. “let me show you what you mean to me. trust me, for tonight.” He pleaded. 

I nodded, and relaxed. I wasn’t sure about not having control, but I did trust him. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, and he’d give me what I needed. Sans studied me, then pressed his lips to mine again as his finger sped up with their tantalizing pace on my sensitivity. I whimpered and moaned into his mouth, letting my hips move against his hand, wanting more. 

Sans knew that and he gave me more. I gasped and moaned when I felt one of his fingers slid into me. His lips seemed to be everywhere on my skin, sucking, biting, licking and kissing every part of my neck and throat. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, straining my hips against him. 

Pleas and praises fled from my lips, all whispered or moaned. When he slid another finger into me and sped up the steady rhythm, I could feel myself reaching the edge of my pleasure. I knew he could feel it, even before I mewled it out because he used his other hand to rub my breast—my bra being gone. 

I screamed his name when I finally hit that desirable edge, arching my back and moaning deeply. He continued to pleasure me through it until I was a panting mess under him. I felt my hands released, and pulled them to my sides, my hands resting on my shoulders. I closed my eyes, and let myself come down from the high he had just given me. 

When I reached out for him, he was still there. I stroked his cheeks softly and pulled him down for a lazy loving kiss. His lips greeted mine, soft and gentle, as his hands tangled themselves in my hair, pulling me closer. 

“ready?” He murmured softly against my lips and I felt him line up against my opening. I spread my legs more and pulled my knees up, nodding. 

“Please,” I whispered. 

He slowly, inch by inch, pushed into me, in small steady even strokes, until his hips were pressed against mine. I was in pure bliss at the feeling, thinking there could be nothing better, but I was proven wrong when he started to thrust into me, picking up his pace slowly until we both reached our edges; first me then, him, both in ecstasy together. 

 

I woke up sometime later, curled up in his arms, pressed tightly against him. He held me close, and his arms were around my waist. I tried stretching, but everything hurt. I smiled at being sore. I slowly stretched my legs out, letting the pain ease away.

This woke Sans, who grumbled and pulled me back against him, hooking his legs over mine. I let out a laugh and turned so that I was facing him. 

“I need a shower, you can either come or sleep here alone.” I offered, knowing what he was going to choose. What I didn’t see coming was that he carried me to the bathroom, bridal style, as he padded across the hall and to the bathroom. 

The warm water felt amazing, as it always had, I   worked the knots from my hair, and worked on washing it, as Sans kept his hands on my waist, my arms, anywhere he could get to. His fingers skimmed over forming bruises on my skin from the night before, and he was frowning. I tilted my head and pulled his chin up to look at me, knowing where his thoughts would go.

“did i hurt you?” Sans asked, his voice guarded. I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled. 

“No, you didn’t. They don’t hurt either.” I kissed him softly. “I loved last night Sans. More than anything. So you did nothing wrong.”

His eyes lit up with joy at my words and he was slightly smug as we finished our shower. Getting dressed and downstairs for food took a bit longer, runaway kisses being the main offender against the lost time. I was in a big comfy knit sweater and a pair of leggings with fuzzy socks, that had been gifts from people around town. I had a lot of new clothes from the townsfolk, so now my wardrobe was quite large. 

Sans and I were curled up on the couch again, under a blanket, as I nursed my second cup of coffee. His fingers distractedly massaged my scalp, as he sat beside me, lost in thought.

“Watcha thinkin’?” I asked, nudging his shoulder. 

“‘bout last night.” He admitted. I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder. 

“What about it?” I pressed, closing my eyes, falling into the memories. 

“have you ever…” He trailed off. I shook my head. 

“No, that was… that was the first time I’ve ever done anything like that.” I admitted. “What about you?” I worried my lip at the question. What if he had been with someone else?

“no, you were my first.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. 

I smiled to myself and took another sip of my coffee. Sans chuckled and tightened his arms around me. 

“pleased with yourself then?” He joked. I let out a laugh. 

“I don’t know, are you?” I drawled back. 

“i’m pleased with you.” He grinned, and I felt my cheeks grow hot as I hid my face in his shoulder. A laugh rumbled through him, which was contagious, so we were both laughing on the couch when Undyne and Papyrus walked through the door. The confused look on their faces made me laugh harder, as I leaned against Sans. 

“Mornin’,” I offered the pair. 

“HELLO HUMAN. IT IS NICE TO SEE YOU LAUGHING AND UP AND ABOUT!” Papyrus exclaimed. 

“It’s nice to see you too, Paps.” I responded. 

“Yeah yeah, you look great, nerd.” Undyne teased. “Though I thought that Toriel healed you?” She was slightly confused, but her smirk was mischevious. 

“She did?” I didn’t know where this was going, but apparently, Sans did because he was trying not to laugh, but failing.

“Just wondering, cuz you have a few bruises on your neck and shoulder,” She grinned wickedly.

My eyes widened as I realized what she was talking about. No wonder Sans was laughing. I glared at Undyne, fixing my sweater so that not so much of my shoulders and chest were showing. Papyrus, oblivious to what they actually were, was concerned. 

“HUMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO GO AND GET THE QUEEN TO SEE IF SHE CAN HEAL YOU!?” He asked, and I about died. 

All three of us—excluding the younger skeleton— were laughing, Undyne was doubled over, and my coffee was in real peril of being spilled.

“she’s fine bud,” Sans interjected before Papyrus actually went off and got the queen. I hid my face in my hands when Sans relieved me of my mug and kept laughing, so much that my sides hurt.

“WELL OKAY!” Papyrus declared then dashed off up to his room, which left the three of us downstairs. 

“So did you two have fun last night?” Undyne asked smirking. 

“Loads.” I drawled, grinning. “How’s Alphys?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. 

This time it was Undyne’s turn to fumble. I had her there. Sure, she had a vague idea of what Sans and I were doing last night, but hey, at least Sans was mine. 

“She’s uh…” 

I laughed and leaned back against Sans. 

“It’s a shame, cuz we could totally double date, but alas, you’re too much of a wimp to do anything,” I smirked. 

“Listen here you little punk,” Undyne threatened, pointing a finger at me. “Not all of us just find out soulmates.” She accused. 

“I guess, but that just sounds like an excuse…” I trailed off, enjoying this too much. Behind me, Sans was laughing, trying hard not to but failing. 

Undyne huffed and folded her arms, stalking off towards the kitchen muttering something about Sans and me, but I let it go, and leaned back against the warm skeleton, relaxing again, closing my eyes. 

Sans’ hands resumed their work in my hair, calming me, and I just basked in the bliss. 

“i was thinking…” Sans murmured to me.

“That’s scary,” I responded, laughing a little. 

“yeah yeah, you’re so funny.” He gave me a look. “we should probably go up to the palace, to see asgore, and talk about this plan.”

I sat up and yawned, rescuing my coffee from the floor and draining the cup. 

“Maybe we give it a few days?” I asked. Sans looked at me curiously. I rolled my eyes. “Do you really want the king and queen to see these?” I pointed out, delicately running my fingers over my neck. 

Sans watched my hands, and it looked like he was starting to think of something else that he could do with me, that didn’t involve the king or queen, or anyone. Part of me thought that he was going to follow that idea when he cupped my cheek, then traced it down my neck and chest, magic trailing on his fingertips. My skin buzzed from the feeling, and I realized what he was doing. He had done it once before.

“Maybe I wanted those,” I pouted, knowing all of the marks me had made on my skin were gone. 

“i’m more than happy to give you more,” He chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to my collarbone, making my heart flutter. “but we need to talk to asgore about this and you know that.” 

I nodded. He was right, if I was going to free everyone, free Sans, I’d rather do it sooner rather than later, and there was no time like the present.

“Do you want to go now?” I asked. The thought of going to see the king gave me anxiety, but I knew Sans would be beside me all the while. 

“we can, or we can go and see tori, and then go. she’ll probably want to be there too.” He reasoned. I nodded. Having Toriel there would make me feel slightly better. Sure, Sans could protect me, but Toriel could put Asgore in his place. 

“hey undyne, wanna head to the palace with us?” Sans asked, calling to the eavesdropping fish woman in our kitchen. 

“Yeah. Is this about her taking down the barrier?” 

“Does everyone know?” I complained. 

“Kinda. Asgore told the council, and well Mett overheard, and well if he knows then the whole underground knows.” Undyne filled in. 

I huffed, and Sans let out a low growl. 

“does he realize what danger that puts her in?” He hissed at Undyne. 

“Yes, because a human coming and taking down the barrier is a bad thing,” Undyne said flatly. I mean, she had a point, but Sans didn’t seem appeased.

“there are much darker things in the underground than grateful monsters, undyne.” Sans almost scolded. I stared at him, looking for an answer to his cryptic response.

Papyrus came down the stairs just then, and the mood shifted so that it was less hostile.

“wanna head to the palace with us bud?” Sans asked his little brother. 

“WOWIE YES!” He exclaimed and dashed for the door. 

“follow him, we’re gonna go and see tori then we’ll be right behind you.” Sans half ordered Undyne, who nodded and went after the young skeleton.

“Sans, what was that about?” I prompted, still confused. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and smiled. 

“nothing, probably. just rumors of ancient and twisted magic that resides in the underground.” His answer wasn’t any less cryptic and it annoyed me. “come on, let’s go see tori.” He smiled pulling me to my feet and walking to the door. 

On the walk to the inn, I wondered about what Sans could have meant by ‘twisted magic’ in the Underground. Was he talking about his father?

Then a distant memory flashed in my mind, of the first person I met in the Underground. 

  
“ _ In this sick world it’s kill or be killed. You want me to suffer… so your death is all I’ll offer.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (FYI: Updates will be slightly more sporadic because ya gurl is gettin her edumacation, and well, tumblr has me occupied with a supernatural series... so if you're into that come on over)


	9. Sugar, We're Going Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you miss me?  
> I missed you guys a bunch. It's been like three months and I've missed my children.  
> So, tell me all about your past three months, make sure you're keeping warm, and drinking plenty of water.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter is... angst. And even then angst is too kind of a word, so when your ready to cry, scream, and die, this is the chapter for you. So curl up somewhere with a blanket and cocoa and get ready. 
> 
> Notes: the centered lines are POV changes from Readz to Sans, so you don't get confused. 
> 
> I love you all and I'm not even a little bit sorry for this one.  
> Always keep fighting.  
> Momma Marri

Sans and I walked down to the inn, through a quiet town.

The notion bothered me, the town was normally lively, and now it was eerie. I glanced at Sans, who was just as tense as I was. My eyes flitted back and forth trying to find some form of movement that excluded the two of us.

“Sans?” I whispered. My hushed voice seemed to offend the nothingness.

“i don’t know.” He answered my unasked question.

“What do we do?”

His hand’s grip tightened on mine. We stopped walking, in the center of the town, now the only movement was my breathing. The inhale and exhale breaking perfect silence. Even the snow seemed to stop falling.

“i can’t feel a soul. i can’t feel paps anywhere, and normally i can.” His voice was coated with anxiety. “it’s just us. in the entire underground.”

“Where…” I whispered. Thousands of questions ran through my head with reckless abandon, anxiety accompanying them.

“Well howdy!” A cheerful voice greeted from behind us.

Both Sans and I tensed visibly. I thought I heard a low growl from Sans, but it may as well have been my own. Sans’ eyes darted to mine, with slight confusion, that I’m sure matched mine. _How did the other know this flower?_ It didn’t matter. We both knew that that whatever had happened to all the people, to all the souls, it was the cause of this flower, and we were going to find out what.

We turned together, intertwining our fingers again. Sans’ blue electricity licked at my skin as my golden flame torched his. If it weren’t for his magic, I would have thought that Sans was as frozen as the world around us too. He was rigid with pure fury that I had never seen from him before.

“What the _fuck_ did you do?” I hissed at the demonic flower. It was more of a question of what he did to my Sans, than the stillness of the world around us.

“Oh…nothing.” The flower grinned. He knew.

“you should _be dead_.” Sans snarled. I frowned and looked over at Sans. What did he know that I didn’t? What did this flower do?

Sans felt my question and through my mind flashed broken and faded memories, that weren’t familiar–they were Sans’.

It was of a lab, with dull green walls and cold tiles that I could feel though the soles of my shoes. I peered around a corned and gasped. Before me, I saw Gaster, working over a lab table, muttering to himself. He wasn’t the same. He seemed…saner.

I pressed my back against the wall praying that he hadn’t seen me. Even if he wasn’t the Gaster I had encountered, I still didn’t want to meet him. I checked again and there was no change, as if he were unaffected by my presence. My feet carried me forward. Gaster never moved, nor noticed me.

“This is a bad idea,” The tall skeleton figure muttered.

“This is your fault,” A familiar childlike voice hissed. “You fix it.”

Fix it?

Fix what? What did Gaster try to fix? What was his fault? Why was Flowey advocating it?

“No,” I whispered when I realized what was going on.

The accident in the lab that killed Gaster. That was supposed to free the monsters from the Underground. That made the save points. The ones that almost killed me. It was never Gaster, but Flowey who had caused it all. He caused the deadly slope.

I blinked and again I was in the snow beside Sans, the small yellow flower smiling innocently up at the two of us.

“ _You._ ” I seethed. If it wasn’t for Sans beside me, I would have advanced on the smug little bastard.

“Me,” He mocked with a cheery smile.

If everything was him: Sans losing his father, the save points that only I could see, trying to kill me in the beginning, meeting Toriel, making sure that I would end up here, with Sans…

“ _Was this all just a game!?_ ” I shrieked.

I looked over at Sans, fear in my eyes. Had we been played? I looked to him for comfort that it wasn’t, but he was as unsure as I was. My grip tightened on his hand. I refused to believe that this wasn’t meant to be…that this was all set up…

“Awe, look, you _are_ smart!” If the flower could clap, I’m sure it would have. “ _Of course_ you were played! I needed a strong pair of soulmates to finish my plan… and since the king and queen had fallen apart from another, I looked somewhere else.” He was actually monologuing.

“But…I was above ground…how did you…?” What he was saying wasn’t adding up.

“It wasn’t that hard, a death here, hurt feelings there…” Flowey gestured–could flowers gesture?

“Death?” I repeated.

The flower laughed evilly. “Where do you think you get your powers from? It _is_ hereditary.”

“I don’t…”

“Who knew everything? Who taught you about the war? And monsters?”

My eyes widened. I knew exactly who he was talking about. Someone I had lost, just over a year ago.

“You _SON OF A BITCH!!”_ I screamed. “ _HE WAS MY GRANDFATHER!!!”_ Tears streamed down my face.

I felt Sans’ hands gripping my shoulders, holding me back from killing the little motherfucker.

“ _LET ME GO!!”_ I screeched to Sans. “Let me go!!” I sobbed.

He didn’t let me go. He held me until I stopped screaming at the soon to be dead flower. I could feel the hatred radiating from his soul, mixed with sorrow and agony. This flower had taken sacred things from the both of us.

 I fell to my knees, shaking, my eyesight was blurry, but all I could see was gold and blue swirls as I felt Sans’ hand on my shoulder as he stood before me, protecting me. I was too wrapped up in my own suffering as agony tore through my untouched soul to notice.

I felt Sans’ hand leave my shoulder, but it didn’t register as to why. My hands grabbed fistfuls of snow as taking air into my lungs became harder and harder. I lifted my head from the blurry snow below me to see a truly horrific scene.

Sans was on the defense before me, fighting the flower who looked more like a demon than before. No longer was he a small flower, but a massive tangle of vines and threatening forms. The sight petrified me, and there Sans was, fighting against the beast.

A strangled cry left my throat as one of Flowey’s attacks got a little too close for comfort. I jumped to my feet and immediately took my place beside Sans, saber and shield materializing in my hands, but this time they were a lot less stable, and crackled with golden lightning, as if Sans’ magic was aiding mine.

I looked over at him, determination shining on both of our faces.

“I love you,” I mouthed.

“i love you too,”

We both turned and faced the beast before us.

  * ••••



I don’t know what happened.

The three of us were dancing in a lethal battle. We were moving so fast, I didn’t know where the mistakes and missteps were coming from. Sans and I beside each other fighting was one of the most amazing things that I had ever experienced. If we weren’t fighting for our lives, I would have been joyous. Our magic paired and enhanced the other’s. It was a beautiful nightmare, but I wish I was dreaming.

It was my slip up. My mistake. I hit a patch of ice and slipped. I fell.

Of course, Sans was there to catch me.

But I was too slow to protect him.

I was too human.

  * ••••



I saw him laying in the snow, red soaking up his shirt.

I fell to my knees beside him, letting out labored strangled cries of desperation. My hand gripped his as I pressed my other over his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. My magic was being absorbed by the wound, but it didn’t seem as if it were enough.

“Sans… _please!”_ I begged.

He rasped your voice before his eyes closed.

“ _Please!”_ I squeaked. “ _I can’t do this without you! I… Please Sans! You **promised**!” _

I buried my face in the crook of his neck, taking fistfuls of his shirt in my hands that were stained with his blood.

I felt it.

In my soul I felt it.

It was torn in to a thousand pieces.

Shattered… that seemed like a walk in the park.

This was a burning.

A loss.

This was every part of my soul burning in agony.

Every cell.

There was a reason killing another’s soulmate was a crime.

The sound that left my lips was animalistic, inhuman, beastly. My soul rebelled and let out a surge of power that was just as unfeeling as the cry that left my lips. If I had cared, I would have watched as Flowey was abolished, and so were most of the buildings, and the snow underfoot was melted.

But I didn’t care. My mind was racing of how to fix this. I couldn’t lose Sans. Not now. Not like this. Not… It couldn’t be just a game.

**_Reset._ **

The word sounded in my mind. I didn’t know what it meant. I didn’t know who said it. Whoever it was, they promised that this path would bring my Sans back. If I reset… If I went back… none of this would happen. I wouldn’t be apart of Flowey’s game. I could change this.

I could fix this.

I could save my Sans.

I could **_reset._**

I felt the word call to my soul, an absolute power that was mine for the taking.  

**_RESET_ **

  * ••••



I was falling again. I knew exactly where I was.

I tucked up tight again and braced for the slope that would slow my fall.

It came, just as I knew it would.

I didn’t look back at the sunlight this time. The sunlight didn’t matter. Seeing Sans, alive, and okay, that was what mattered. Nothing more or less. I needed to see him alive and nothing was going to stop me.

“ _Oh, but I will._ ” Another high-pitched voice rang.

I growled and my eyes scanned the darkness before me, my magic licking at the palms of my hand.

“ _Try me bitch._ ” I gritted out, ready for a fight.

_“Ah, ah. We had a deal. You reset…I get control.”_ The voice claimed.

“Deal? What _fucking deal?_ I want _my Sans. Nothing will stop me_.” I snarled.

“ _I will.”_ The voice giggled.

I blinked.

And everything changed.

  * ••••



The demon that was inside of me was no older than a child. A child with a thirst for blood. A child that trapped me in my own mind. Maybe they weren’t strong enough to control me completely, because I could still see from the eyes that were no longer mine. I could feel my legs as they walked along the ruins. Maybe they did it purposely. So that I could see each monster fall by my own hands.

I watched as this child gained the trust of Toriel. The disapproval on her face when my hands demolished the dummy broke me inside, yet she never said a word about it. I watched her disapproval turn to fear with each monster killed and each pile of dust created.

Words always seemed to be at the tip of her tongue, as if she were going to beg me to stop. As if she remember who I was before the reset. As if she heard the silent screams I was trying to get out to let her know that this wasn’t me. That she needed to run. That she was in danger.

I begged the child to stop. To stop using my power, my magic to kill the wonderful monsters that were being wrongly slaughtered. As if it would listen.

I tried anyway.

_________________________________

His eyes flew open to an empty cold room.

“ ** _no!_** ” He roared and travelled to the door at the edge of Snowdin.

It was still shut.

She was nowhere to be seen. There was no evidence she had ever been there. Somehow, she had reset. She had reset the entire Underground. For him. Because he made the mistake and died. She gave it all up and changed time for him.

He pressed his hands against the Ruins’ doors and started to shake as tears slid down his face.

“ _god damnit!”_ He hissed and started to pace.

He stopped mid-pace and blinked.

Why was he here? He frowned at the doors. There was a feeling, a memory, just out of reach.

He rolled his eyes and walked away from the doors, on his way to make sure Papyrus was doing alright, the doors, and the girl he had just been looking for, forgotten.

_________________________________

“Prove to me you’re strong enough to survive.” Toriel challenged.

**_NO!_** I screamed, inside my own head. I knew that was going to happen.

I knew that this demon was about to do.

Tears streamed down my face as I watched my own hands wield my magic to strike a powerful blow to the woman who had once been my mother.

“You really hate me that much?” She whispered, kneeling, her tears matching mine.

“ _Yes._ ” My voice hissed, high-pitched and childlike. This was the first and only word the child had ever said while possessing me.

“Now I see who I was protecting…not you. But them.” Toriel’s face grew hard, as if she could see the pleas behind my eyes. As if she knew that this was all wrong.

She gave me a small smile before her entire form turned to dust before me.

I let out a cry of despair, but it never left my lips.

Chara pushed on. The more I fought against her, the more my cells burned. It was as if resisting her was raking nails along the insides of my skin. It was pure agony: my pain to stop her, or other’s pain to relive mine.

  * •••••



“dontcha know how to greet an old pal?”

No.

No. Please no.

I…

I turned and faced him. My jaw set as Chara bit back every word I was desperately trying to tell him.

We shook hands, as if we were just colleagues. It seemed as if recognition crossed his face for a brief moment, but then flickered away as soon as it had come.

I watched as Chara played their game, making friends with the skeletons, as I had. It was a cruel torture. A small part of me prayed that she would leave these two alone. Just two. I didn’t care if she killed the rest of the Underground, just not these two.

Just not Sans.

_Please._

I shied away as the child used my hands to kill every monster we encountered. With each…death, my powers grew stronger, a fact I never wanted to know, but now I did. Chara was relentless with each monster we faced, and then put on a sweet smile whenever the skeletons would appear.

There were times that I would look at Sans, on my own accord, and the fear in his eyes matched mine, before we were hidden behind different masks.

“seems like if you keep going, you’re going to fight my brother soon… if you keep going the way you are…you’re going to have a bad time.” He hissed as I walked by once.

Chara just giggled, a hideous sound that escaped my lips. Liquid flames burned through my veins as I tried to stop her, as I tried to reach out to Sans, as I tried to do something that was my own.

She pushed on though. My heart broke a little more as I saw my lovely little town was now deserted. There wasn’t a soul in sight, anywhere. Chara went and did as she pleased there, taking what she wanted, leaving what she didn’t.

Fear froze my blood as she came to face Papyrus.

“…THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE FROM PLACE TO PLACE…THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER… IT FEELS LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH…”

I refused to watch this, and with all my might, shut down the part of the mind that was still mine.

_No, you’re going to watch this._ Her voice shrilled in my head.

“EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY!”

Chara struck faster than a viper.

“THAT’S…NOT WHAT I EXPECTED…BUT I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU! …I PROMISE”

He turned to dust at my feet.

I fell to my knees in the snow, staring at the pile of dust that slowly disappeared in the wind.

**_YOU KILLED HIM!!_** I screeched at the demon in my mind.

_No,_ She giggled. _You did._

I…

I did. I said yes to the deal. I reset.

This is all my fault. I killed Papyrus. I killed Toriel. I killed everyone. Their blood was on my hands. I…I did this. She was right. I was the reason that all of this was happening.

I stopped fighting against her after that.

_________________________________

He watched as she went along, killing every living thing. Was he afraid? No, not really. He could take anyone in the Underground down–easily.

What worried him is that every time he looked at her, new dust on her hands, and a wicked smile on her face, something didn’t sit right. When he saw her, he was reminded of good times, of happiness, and trust and love. But this wasn’t that same girl. It couldn’t be.

The girl he knew would never hurt anyone.

This girl.

The girl he watched murder his brother before his eyes.

This girl was going to pay.

_________________________________

My mind went on rest mode as Chara trekked through Waterfall, a place that once held wonder in my eyes, now was a burial ground for those who had crossed this demon’s path.

Chara giggled when Undyne attacked with her spears. They still disintegrated against my magic, and the demon child had no problem using it for her own.

One fight was different from the others. Undyne had collapsed the bridge from under my feet and I fell, down. This seemed to disorient Chara, as if she remembered falling–falling down into the Underground.

For that moment it was peaceful. There was no longer fire in my veins. I simply remembered as Chara did. I remembered a warm feeling, a spark of hope, and a familiar voice.

When the moment ended, I saw that I was on a pile of golden flowers, the same flowers at the bottom on the hole where both Chara and I fell. I began to wonder why these flowers made a difference, and was there a way to defeat this demon after all?

I pondered this thought as Chara met up with an old turtle I felt deep respect for, though I had never met him before. He reminded me of someone I loved and lost.

“Eh? Fight you? Nah…” The turtle chuckled. “I’m not a hero. Never was. B’sides these old bones weren’t meant for fighting anyhoo, and one hit from you well… I’d…” The turtle sized me up then smiled. “At least by talking to you I’ve bought enough time for some of them to escape.”

This infuriated Chara, yet she never struck the old man. There wasn’t enough power in her to overcome and complete the action. Even though I didn’t fight against her, she left this monster alone.

“Don’t forget, there’s someone who’ll never give up trying to do the right thing, no matter what. And someone like that will strike you down.” The turtle had a twinkle in his eyes as Chara turned and walked away.

That was twice that Chara had lost control.

Twice that she didn’t have power over me.

I struggled to solve the mystery.

_________________________________

Sans watched as you talked to Gerson. Mainly, he watched your soul.

He didn’t know why he could see yours, out of all the people, but he could. And with it he saw each emotion that you had.

 Before it had been vengeance and hatred, with something brewing underneath that he could never quite find, yet when you talked to Gerson, your soul was quiet, defiant, and filled with love and respect.

These emotions came from nowhere and as soon as you walked away from Gerson, they were gone. But it left him wondering…

What was actually going on?

Was the girl he barely remembered still there?

Was it all a ruse?

What had made you change?

Could he bring you back?

And…

Could he hold onto those memories long enough to care…?

_________________________________

_Chara, that’s **a child!**_ I roared.

Before me stood a small monster, who could be no more than five, with innocence in his eyes and determination on his face.

“I-if you w-wanna hurt anyone y-you’re gonna have t-to go through m-me.” The yellow monster child said boldly.

“ _That’s not a problem_.” A wicked smile curled across my face.

Chara struck, and instead of hitting the child, Undyne took the blow, jumping to protect the child. Part of me was relived as the child ran to safety. My eyes pleaded to Undyne, but it was no use.

I watched in horror as Chara did her deadly dance again, this time with the woman who had once been a good friend. I felt pride as Undyne never gave up and fought until she couldn’t. Tears streamed down my face as I said my final goodbyes to her, as her dust was carried away in the streams of glowing water.

We ventured on, to a part of the Underground I had never seen before. It was somewhat of an underground volcano–weren’t all volcanos underground technically? We came upon a foreboding building that had ‘LAB’ engraved along the side. For some reason I knew that this wasn’t the same lab that I had seen before, with Gaster, in Sans’ memories.

“Oh! There you are!” A robotic voice called. I would have laughed if I could.

I turned to face Mettaton, who was still a box, and still funny to look at.

“You _ugly_ creature!” He accused. “You’ve made quite a name for yourself. Such infamy! I’m impressed.”

Chara twisted my face into a smug smile.

“Oh you’re just itching to get your hands on me!” Mettaton fawned. “Well, _too bad_! The world needs more starts like me, so toodles!”

I watched as the robot raced away, and Chara was in no hurry to follow him. Instead she moseyed along, killing casually, as if it meant nothing. If that every soul she took… was unimportant. My mind had become numb, the pain, and torture frying my emotional nerve endings, until I was left watching in silent horror.

Chara didn’t seem to mind that I picked up the small flower, that a spider had left for his dead mother, and pocketed it. She just pulled me on.

Soon we were in a hotel like place, with only a few remaining monsters, that Chara paved over. I was growing tired of fighting against her. My only prayer was that Sans had gotten out with the others.

_________________________________

“asgore, you have to get out of here.” Sans scolded the king.

“I will not leave my fallen people.” The king didn’t look up from where he was watering flowers.

 “you foolish ass!” Sans growled in frustration. “leave before you get killed too!”

“And what becomes of you?” A melancholy face looked up to Sans.

“i-i’m going to stop her.” His voice was shaky and unsure.

“But can you Sans? You must have realized what she is to you.” The king looked at him knowing.

Sans had figured out that this killer was his soulmate, and it didn’t sit well with him, yet he knew, deep down that this killer wasn’t who she really was. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew.

“i know what–who she is. that’s why i have to be the one to save her.” Sans was sure the he was the only one who could.

“Save?” Asgore questioned.

Sans shook is head and squeezed his eyes shut, reaching for that fleeting memory.

“there’s something going on here. something with her… somehow this isn’t right.” Sans muttered. “someone screwed with time…again.”

Sans and Asgore shared a knowing look. Asgore knew that what Gaster had done had messed with time in the Underground, he just never thought that the consequences would be so dire.

“Do what you must.” Asgore nodded. “But she must pay for her sins.”

“get everyone else out.” Sans ordered, ignoring the king’s warning.

_________________________________

_Oh my god he’s a drama queen_. Chara groaned at Mettaton as we fought.

_I quite like his theatrics._ I commented.

_No one cares._ She hissed.

Another monster had been killed, my heart mourned for the fallen robot. Chara surged on, to some place familiar. A place with wood flooring and pale-yellow walls.

**_Home._** We both thought.

_This isn’t your home._ Chara snarled. I didn’t know if she was talking to me or herself.

Chara went right, down the hall, to her old room. The room that almost mirrored mine back with… This room had two twin beds instead of one. I wondered who the other bed belonged to.

She went to the dresser and opened the top drawer, as if she knew that what she was looking for would still be there. At the bottom laying solemn, was a heart shaped locket. One similar to what Sans had given me, what seemed like forever ago. And for some reason she picked up the locket, and I watched as my fingers ran over it and popped the clasp. Inside was a picture of two kids: one, Chara; and the other, a smaller version of- of Toriel.

Tears welled in my eyes, but they weren’t mine. They were hers.

_Chara?_ I asked softly.

Just then she dropped the locket back in the drawer and slammed it shut, stalking out of the room, slamming the door. That left me wondering. Who was the boy? And why did Chara care about him, of all people?

My thoughts stopped in their tracks as I felt a certain soul near my own, as if they were calling to another. My eyes were filled with a sight that stopped me dead in my tracks.

It was the hallway.

But it wasn’t Asgore at the end of it this time.

_Chara, please._ I whispered. _Not him_

_Everyone must pay. **Especially him.**_

_“Sans.”_  My voice called.

**_NO!_** I roared. **_NOT HIM! PLEASE!_**

Sans called my name softly. My voice caught in my throat. Chara locked down every part of control that I had left, until all I could do was watch.

My fingers brushed a golden globe, hovering at the end of the hallway. The only save point Chara ever touched.

There was no going back now.

_________________________________

“i know who you are.” He said softly.

“So you know what I’m here to do.” Her voice was distorted and childlike.

“i’m going to stop you.” His voice was hard and sure.

He couldn’t look up from the floor though. Into those innocent eyes that seemed to be pleading for him. What he was about to do next… he couldn’t look at her to do. Sans’ magic licked over his skin as he prepared to attack this girl– this murder.

“Are you now?” She sounded smug and sure of herself.

He nodded. “on days like this…kids like you…” He looked up, meeting her eyes. “should be _burning in hell.”_

_________________________________

I felt my golden flame run out over my skin. As much as I loathed the thought of going up against Sans, magic to magic…something he said caught my attention. He said he knew who I was. I prayed that he remembered a time before this, because even the smallest memory would give me something.

Chara threw my magic at Sans, and as he raised his own to deflect it, an ear splintering crack sounded in the hall. It was as if the magic itself knew that this shouldn’t be. I watched in horror as again and again my hands dealt deadly blows towards the one I loved, and how that same person did nothing but go on defense. He never once went on offence.

“ _Fight!”_ My voice hissed.

It was Chara who wanted the conflict. It was me who was pleading for Sans to fight against what was before him. This false image.

Chara wanted him to fight to kill.

I wanted him to fight to remember.

“i won’t hurt her,” Sans glared.

“You remember who she–I am?” My voice shrilled a humorless laugh. “How…interesting.”

“what did you do to her?” His voice was guarded as it demanded these questions. “what did she do?”

I took a step forward, grinning.

“Oh… _nothing_.” My voice was malicious.

“listen here _you little_ …” Sans snarled, his eye flashed blue as magic crackle across his skin. He raised his hand to throw the attack.

“Ah, ah. You hurt me… you hurt her.”

Fury burned in Sans’ eyes.

“It’s a shame.” Chara giggled. “I’m going to kill you because you won’t kill her.” Another attack was sent Sans’ way. “How _pathetic. Just like your little brother.”_

Sans stopped dead in his tracks.

“forgive me.” He whispered.

Then he went on offense.

I always wondered what it would be like to fight Sans. What he meant by saying he could take me down. That he was the strongest in the Underground.

I knew now that when he said that I didn’t want to know… he was absolutely right.

I thought I had an idea of Sans’ power, but I was poorly mistaken. Even with the power that Chara had collected from all of the fallen souls, Sans was…phenomenal. Each trap and attack was so well crafted I was surprised that Chara was able to keep up. Between bones that would appear from the floor, and the beautifully terrifying hovering massive skulls that would emit pure magic my way, she kept her balance, and dodged them, while throwing attacks of her own.

  * ••••



One hit of his did land.

It burned my skin and tore right through me.

I didn’t even remember dying.

**_LOAD_ **

  * ••••



I gasped and I was at the beginning of the hallway again. Not dead.

“you used a save point.” Sans sounded semi-amused.

It was the few moments after the load that I had control of myself, as if dying made Chara let me go…

“Sans.” I wheezed, with my own voice. A fit of laughter bubbled from my lips. It was no longer mine. I was no longer in control.

Chara skipped the small talk and went immediately to the offense, and Sans to the defense in our deadly dance.

I caught Sans’ eye, for just a moment, and he faltered in step, one of Chara’s–my blows barely missing him.

“ _NO!”_ I screamed in panic. My eyes widened.

I fell to my knees, screaming in pain as Chara forced my will down, tearing it from my grasp, the liquid agony returning. I grasped the cold tiles as again she took control. Red spots hit the floor as I looked back up at Sans, my face distorted in a wicked grin.

I saw the fear in Sans’ eyes.

My eyes pleaded for him.

Chara didn’t stop.

  * ••••



**_LOAD_ **

One word.

I got one word.

“ _Sans._ ”

I felt Chara destroy my internal organs as she fought against Sans. My tongue tasted like blood.

  * **_••••_**



**_LOAD_ **

“ _I’m.”_

Sans didn’t even have to attack.

Chara was going to get me to submit.

Even if it meant killing me.

  * **_••••_**



**_LOAD_ **

“ _Here.”_

Sans nodded.

My world went black.

  * **_••••_**



**_LOAD_ **

I walked down the hallway. Silent.

Chara was appeased with my silence. Little did she know that this time wasn’t like the rest.

This time when Chara let me use my sight, I used it to look at Sans. More specifically at his soul. It was dull, and broken, but deep inside, there was a flame of hope.

_Sans,_ I called to him softly.

Chara didn’t understand why I was saying his name. She didn’t know that there was a way that I could to him without using my voice. She didn’t know.

And it would be her downfall.

Sans looked up, in peace, a lazy smile on his face.

“heya. you’ve been busy huh?”

“ _Fight me_.” Chara snarled.

 “you can’t understand how this feels.” Sans moved closer. “knowing that one day, without any warning… it’s all going to be reset.” His tone was harsh and cold.

“ _I **reset.**_ ” Chara hissed. “ ** _Me._** ”

“you say that with her voice. as if you have the right to.”

“ ** _She said yes. She reset._** **_She gave me control._** ”

“for some reason i don’t think that’s true.” Sans tilted his head to one side as he moved closer.

Chara let my magic flow through, to my hands, backing away from the skeleton.

“you see. even though it was reset. and it was all gone. i remember.”

Pure fury ran through my veins, directed at me, from my demon. I collapsed in agony as Chara tore my insides up one again. My legs and arms felt leaden, my tongue tasted of blood, and my vision went blurry.

My world went black, but this time…

This time.

This time I fought back against her.

Because Sans was mine.

And I was done with letting her take the people I loved away.

  * ••••



**_Chara._** I hissed.

  1. **_YOU. WILL. NOT. DEFY. ME._** Her voice was deafening.



I didn’t try to fight against her with force. Instead I fought back against her high level of violence with love.

I found my soul deep within me and held it close, looking past the heartache and sorrow, to my love for others.

I loved my grandfather. He was kind. He was always there for me, and always willing to give me what I needed. I loved my grandfather, and the summers we spent up north, spending evenings on the back porch watching the sun set.

I loved my friends. I loved Undyne, and her aggressive loyal nature that I had been on both sides of. I admired and loved her strength. She was always so passionate about everything yet fumbled with the idea of love and being with another.

I loved Papyrus. He was so full of positivity and love to share; his innocence was more than admirable. I loved his enthusiasm and his intelligence, and most of all his optimism. It was what Sans needed the most.

And God.

Sans.

There was absolutely no one like him. There was no love like mine for him. He was always there. He was always understanding and kind to me. He was gentle, and soft, behind a mask of laziness and protectiveness. He loved his little brother and protected people he loved. He was never shy to tell me he was afraid, that he was alone, that he wanted me to stay, that he loved me. He was pure and raw and every emotion of his out on display for only me to see.

And I loved him. To the core of my soul I loved him. He made everything hurt less. He filled in every empty space others had left shattered in ways I never thought anyone could. He was funny, and he made awful puns, but he was so intelligent. Even when I gave hi every reason to abandon me…

He loved me.

He chose me.

I was his.

He was mine.

**I was my own.**

  * •••••



I gasped and looked at Sans, tears in my eyes.

“ _Sans…_ ” I rasped, coughing blood.

He called my name and ran to my side where I was crumpled on the floor. I tried to reach for him, but I couldn’t move. This sent me into a panic as I frantically tried to get to him.

“Sans!” I cried out, struggling.

He was by my side instantaneously, his eyes searching mine.

“is it really you?” He whispered.

I gave the smallest nod. I could feel Chara trying to force her way back into control. As long as I kept my thoughts and emotions on Sans, she wasn’t more than a nuisance.

“ _Please Sans…I’m so…sorry...”_ Tears streamed down my face, from the pain and heartache.

He shushed me softly and moved his hand to place over my soul. I flinched, remembering the horrors of the battles and the damage he could cause. I knew it wasn’t his fault…but it didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid.

“ _shit kid,_ ” He muttered. “i’m not going to hurt _you_ ,” He consoled as his hand laid gently on my chest.

The blue of his magic lapped over my skin and the pain in my bones hurt less, to where I could see clearly.

“Save point…” I gasped. “Destroy…reset…” I struggled to stay awake as I felt Chara pining at my will.

Sans’ eyes searched mine and he nodded, understanding.

I closed my eyes and finished what needed to be done.

  * •••



_You can’t reset on your own. I’ll just come back._ Chara threatened. _You can’t get rid of me. I will always be apart of you._

I smiled. _Maybe so. But I don’t give you control over me anymore. I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid of dying. Of losing everyone. Because I know I won’t. You showed me that. That even through hellfire, I still have people who care about me, you killed everyone...but he was still here. So thank you._

**_NO! YOU CAN’T–_ **

**RESET**

  * •••



I grinned as I felt the air rush past me as I fell. I braced for impact and hit the ground running, one thing, one person in my mind that I would stop at nothing to get back to.

“How-”

“ _Fuck you Flowey!”_ I screamed as I ran past.

The flower stared after me, surprised and in awe.

I nearly ran into Toriel. Seeing her smile hurt my soul in the best way. Though she was quite surprised when I wrapped my arms tightly around her, she was not against it, for she hugged me right back.

She asked me my name, and I gave it.

“There’s someone at the door looking for you,” She beamed down at me.

“I know.” I smiled nodding. “I’ll be back Tori. I promise.”

And with that I took off, through the stupid puzzles, waving a hello to Nabstablook, through Toriel’s home and to the huge majestic doors that were the last thing’s separating me from the one I loved.

“Sans.” I gasped out panting.

I watched as the door glowed blue and opened for me, and a lazy smile on the face of a skeleton who had his arms opened wide for me.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and likes are appreciated, and are what spur me on, and keep me going.  
> I also have a tumblr at MissMarrinette.  
> Come bug me.


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